Surviving together is all that matters
by here4rizzles
Summary: In a world where you have to fight the dead and fear the living, Jane and Maura are holding on to each other. Established Rizzles, Jane and Maura are surviving in a post-apocalyptic world that is taken over by flesh eating zombies. Loosely based on The Walking Dead, but mostly Rizzles.
1. Chapter 1

**Surviving together is all that matters**

Established Rizzles, Jane and Maura are surviving in a post-apocalyptic world that is run over by flesh eating zombies. In a world where you have to fight the dead and fear the living, Jane and Maura are holding on to each other. Loosely based on the TV-show, but mostly Rizzles.

**Chapter 1 **

It had been exactly 3 months and 6 days since the shit hit the fan, as Jane always put it. Nobody knew how it happened. Suddenly there were walkers everywhere. The horrible, flesh eating dead creatures devoured everyone that came close. Maura had tried everything to explain these monsters, but even her big brain couldn't find an explanation. The walkers were clearly dead. Something in their brain activated them, making them able to walk and eat the living.

Jane and Maura made their way through the woods. They had walked all day, staying clear from the dangerous main roads. Holding tight to her gun, Maura followed Jane. She was exhausted and hungry. They had little water left and she couldn't even remember the last time she had a proper meal.

She looked over at Jane, walking a few steps in front of her; both gun and knife ready to kill the next monster. Jane's strength amazed her over and over again. Jane kept them safe. Jane took care of her. Jane loved her. She watched Jane making her way through the forest, constantly looking around, always alert. She watched her strong shoulders, her messy curls and her long legs. She still couldn't believe Jane was her girlfriend. She had been for almost a year now. And still, after all this time, she could hardly believe that Jane fell In love with her, Maura Isles, the weird, socially awkward genius medical examiner.

Jane looked at Maura, seeing her lost in thought. "You okay Maura?" Jane said softly.

"Yes. I'm just…" Maura paused, still walking. She didn't want to admit how exhausted and hungry she was. They had to keep going, they had to find a place to spend the night.

Jane stopped and took Maura's hand. "Tell me Maur, what's on your mind?"

Maura sighed. She looked at Jane, beautiful brown eyes looking back. "I'm so tired Jane." She looked down, averting her eyes. "Can we rest for just a little bit?"

Jane smiled, "Of course we can."

Jane looked around; making sure the area was safe. She listened carefully, she didn't hear anything but the wind in the trees. "We'll rest here for a few minutes."

Jane placed her hand on Maura's chin, forcing her to look her in the eyes. "It'll be okay Maura. We're gonna find a place to spend the night and be safe. Maybe even get a good night sleep."

Maura wrapped her arms around the taller woman's neck and sighed. "I hope so."

Jane hugged her back and kissed her temple, feeling the never-ending love she had for this woman. "Come on babe, sit down." Maura sat against a tree, thankful to be sitting down. After one more look around, Jane sat next to her.

"3 months and 6 days…" Maura whispered softly. Jane looked at the doctor. Maura showed a sad smiled. "I'm still counting."

"Me too." Jane wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "Exactly 3 months and 6 days since we lost them" she said softly.

Jane didn't like to think about it. She tried to push it away, not wanting to feel the hurt. Boston got overrun. Those awful monsters were everywhere. She had tried to safe her mother, Frankie, Tommy, her father… But she couldn't. She was too late. By the time she got back from a case just outside of the city, it was too late. Boston was overrun and there was no way she could find her family. Going into the city would be suicide. All Jane could do was keeping Maura safe.

That became her new purpose. Keeping her safe, keeping Maura alive. That's all that mattered. But still she couldn't help but wonder what happened. Were they alive? Maybe they survived; maybe she should be out looking for them.

Maura lifted her head from Jane's shoulder and looked at her girlfriend's face. "Honey, what are you thinking about?" Jane snapped out of her thoughts, looking back at big hazel eyes.

She tried to smile but failed. "My family. Mom, pop, Frankie, Tommy…" Maura tightened her grip on the detective's neck, not breaking eye contact. "What if they made it Maura? I should be looking for them."

"There's no way to even begin to start looking Jane. We have no clue where they could be. We don't even know exactly where we are."

"I know." Jane closed her eyes. "I know."

"I believe they're alive Jane. They must be. Frankie is probably protecting hem all, bossing everybody around."

Jane smiled. "Yeah. I hope so."

Maura placed a sweet kiss on her lips and buried her head in the crook of Jane's neck.

"We should get moving" Jane said, not breaking the embrace.

"I know" Maura sighed.

"I love you Maur."

"I love you too Jane. So much."

They walked for hours, not speaking much. "It's getting dark" Maura said carefully.

"Yeah, if we don't find anything we have to camp out again, taking turns sleeping." Jane answered.

Maura just hoped they would find some kind of village soon. Then they could clear out a house, secure it and spend the night there. Nights were never peaceful, but anything was better than a night in the forest.

Suddenly Jane stopped. "What is it Jane?" Maura looked in the direction Jane was looking and saw a small house.

She followed Jane towards the house; gun ready to shoot the horror that was bound to happen. Jane motioned Maura to get close behind her.

She quietly opened front door, being aware of the possibility that the house would be full of walkers. They slowly made their way in the house, searching through all the rooms.

"Kitchen's clear" Jane said softly.

"Living room clear." Maura answered, following Jane upstairs.

As soon as their footsteps hit the stairs, they heard the way too familiar sound of a snarling walker. Jane ran towards it, slamming her knife into its head with great force. Blood splatted on her clothes as she fell down, the monster falling on top of her.

"Jane! Are you okay?" Maura asked, falling on her knees to lift the now dead monster. As Jane looked at her, she screamed: "MAURA!"

Maura turned her head and saw a walker heading towards her, the noise having drawn him out. She reached for her gun but she had dropped it trying to help Jane up.

The walking dropped on its knees, grabbing Maura's arm as she screamed. "NO! JANE!" Jane tried desperately to get away under the walker, but it was a heavy one.

"Kick him Maura! Hard!" She kicked the monster in the stomach with all the force she had, but the grip on her arm only tightened. She cried and screamed, afraid that these were her last moments. Afraid of leaving Jane alone in this hell. Afraid that Jane would never know how much she truly loved her.

Suddenly she heard a loud gunshot and the grip on her arm let go. Still panicked, she kept kicking and screaming, afraid that if she would stop, it would be the end. She felt strong hands on her shoulders and heard a familiar voice soothe her. "Maur, it's okay, he's dead, you're okay. I'm here, baby, look at me." Maura stopped kicking and turned to look at Jane, breathing heavily, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"Oh god Jane, I thought he was going to win" she cried. "He didn't" Jane said, wrapping the smaller woman in her arms. "He didn't. You're safe now." Maura cried into Jane's neck, wrapped up in strong arms holding her tight.

If there were any more walkers in the house, they would have come out already, following the noise they were making. Since it was still quiet, they assumed the house was clear.

"Thank you Jane" she sniffled, turning to face Jane. "Don't mention it. It's no big deal. Just some walker-killing, that's what we do now." Jane said with a smirk.

Maura looked at Jane and smiled. "Not funny Jane" she said as she playfully hit her arm. "Well I got you to smile didn't I?" Maura laughed.

"Ah I love that sound" Jane said, kissing the beautiful smile. "I love you Maura."

Maura wrapped her arms around her detective, kissing her back. "I love you too Jane."


	2. Chapter 2

**Surviving together is all that matters**

**Chapter 2**

Jane made her way around the house, making sure everything was safe. The windows were all closed and secured with wooden planks, something she found in the back of the house. Jane improvised some kind of fence, lined with cans they found in the trash. It would work as an alarm system, a walker would walk into it and the noise would wake them. That is if she managed to sleep tonight.

"Jane? This has been the fourth time you're doing this, the house is secure." Maura said, watching Jane from the doorway.

"I just want to make sure."

"You are sure, Jane. I've checked. It's safe. Come on in, I found a lot of pecans. We can light up the fireplace and grill them." Maura made her way over to Jane, softly grabbing her hand. "Jane?"

Jane looked at Maura. Her beautiful Maura. With those gorgeous eyes and her breathtaking smile. "I just want us to be safe tonight Maur" Jane said softly.

"We will be. Now you must eat something. Trust me, those pecans will taste great."

"I don't know if I trust you with that anymore, you said quinoa rolls would taste great" Jane mocked, smiling at her girlfriend.

"I would love some quinoa rolls right now!" Maura grinned while placing a quick kiss on Jane's lips. "And you need a clean shirt. I saw some clothes in the bedroom. They should fit you."

Inside, Maura started making a fire in the fireplace. Jane put on the shirt Maura picked out for her. She was pretty sure it was meant for a guy but she didn't care. She was just happy to get out of her blood stained clothes.

She moved a table in front of the door to barricade it. After she made sure the door couldn't be opened, se sat down on the old grey couch in front of the fireplace. She watched Maura lighting the fire, the glow of the flames lighting up her face.

She fell in love with the medical examiner a little over a year ago. It just happened, she didn't exactly know when or how. She saw Maura for who she truly was, the lovely, caring, goofy, smart, amazing woman she is. She fell in love with every part of the doctor. Maura made her feel alive, even in the awful hell they lived in now. Because of Maura, her life made sense.

"Would you like to try one?" Maura asked, offering Jane a few grilled pecans.

"Why not." Jane smiled. They didn't taste bad at all. "Tastes good," she said.

"I told you" Maura smiled. She sat next to Jane, putting a pecan in her mouth.

Jane sighed. "Maybe we can stay her for a while. We could strengthen the fence, so it'll stay secure. We have a lot of these pecans. I can hunt in the forest over there."

"I checked the water pump, it works." Maura said, pointing to the backyard. "We should still boil it, just to be sure, but if we do, we have plenty of water."

They both fell silent, enjoying the nuts and the warmth of the fire. The days were hot but the nights were terribly cold.

Jane sighed. "How did we end up here Maura?" she asked quietly, not really expecting an answer.

"I wish I knew Jane. I've tried to find an explanation, but I can't. I don't know why things are the way they are."

Jane felt Maura's eyes looking at her, worried. Jane gave her a sad smile. "I keep seeing Frost. I keep seeing his blood on my hands." Jane fought the tears she felt coming up. "It hurts Maura."

Maura placed her hand on Jane's hand, "I know baby." She sighed. "I know. But he's gone Jane, there's nothing we could do."

Jane thought back to that day, a few weeks ago. The three of them were wondering around, going from house to house, trying to stay alive, fighting off walkers. She and Maura went to pick some berries so they had something to eat, while Frost started a fire for the night.

She could still hear him screaming. She could still see the walker on top of him, holding onto his leg. She could still see the bite in his leg, the blood pouring on the ground while Maura stabbed the walker in the head. Jane had put her hands on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. Frost was infected. He was going to turn soon, becoming one of the monsters.

"I should have been faster." Jane said softly.

"Jane, he got bit. Once someone gets bitten, they are infected. They will turn, no matter what. I don't know how, but I've seen it Jane. They all turn." Maura looked at Jane with sad eyes.

She had seen it before, Jane thought. Maura had seen her mother turn. Hope was with them for the first few days, but she got attacked. Maura tried everything, everything she learned in all those years of medical school, but nothing worked. Hope turned. They couldn't help her. Frost had shot her in the head, the only way to kill walkers. You have to kill the brain, that's what stops them. There's no other way.

"Do you miss her?" Jane asked carefully.

"Hope?" Maura looked surprised, they didn't usually talk about losing her biological mother.

"Yeah."

"Yes, I do miss her. But she's gone. She's passed. It's much worse to not know what happened."

Jane looked at the pecans in her hands. Maybe that was true. It's worse not to know what happened. She didn't know what happened to her family. Maura didn't know what happened to her parents, they were in Paris while it happened.

"I just like to think they survived. Just like us." Jane said.

"Me too. They're strong, they have a good chance." Maura stood up to get the boiling water off the fire. "Once this cools off you have to drink something Jane. I don't want you to get dehydrated."

Jane smiled. "You know, I hope that one day we don't have to survive anymore. That we can live, instead of just surviving. So we can build a life together."

Maura handed Jane a cup of water, still a little warm. She brushed her dark curls back and kissed her. Jane kissed her back, feeling the warmth of Maura's chapped lips. "We will Jane", Maura said, sitting next to Jane and snuggling into her side. "We will, someday."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The night went by quiet and peaceful, something Maura wasn't used to anymore. They slept on the couch, Maura on top of Jane, bodies intertwined with each other, Jane holding her tight.

The morning sun peaked through the barricaded windows. Maura opened her eyes and stretched, she had a good night sleep and felt energized. She had almost forgotten how that felt.

She noticed she was alone on the old couch, immediately missing Jane's warmth. "Jane?" 

"I'm in the backyard!" she heard Jane call from outside.

She walked to the backyard and saw her girlfriend skinning a small deer. "Did you go hunting while I was asleep?"

Jane didn't look up from the deer. "Yeah. We need food, something more than just pecans."

"I don't like it when you go hunting alone Jane. It's not safe." Maura said, slowly approaching the still working detective. "You didn't have backup. You could have gotten attacked."

"Could've. But I didn't."

"It's not safe out there Jane." Maura said more firmly. She admired Jane's courage, she really did, but that courage got her into trouble more often than Maura liked.

"Nowhere is safe Maura."

"Yes it is Jane! It's safe here! You said it yourself, we can build up the fences, make them stronger. You barricaded the doors and windows, four times! We have food, water and fire… We just had one of the most peaceful nights since this all started!" Maura was getting annoyed at her girlfriend now. Jane just kept peeling the skin of that stupid deer, not even looking at Maura.

Maura calmed herself down and walked over to Jane. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "Jane, look at me."

Jane shook her head and kept working. Maura kneeled in front of the detective, trying to force Jane to look at her. She saw the dark circles under her eyes, cheekbones sticking out, sweat trickling down her brow. "Jane."

Dark, hollow eyes looked at her. "Hi there." Maura said softly, cupping Jane's cheek. "Did you sleep at all last night?" Maura asked.

Jane fell silent and averted her eyes. "Did you?" Maura asked again.

"No." Jane said softly. "I don't feel safe Maura, never." She let go of the deer, putting it aside. "I need to be awake to protect you. I went out early to go hunting, so you'd have something to eat. I hold you when you sleep to make sure nothing happens to you. I need to keep you safe. You're my world Maura, if something happens to you…" Jane stopped talking, her voice breaking. "I can't take that, Maur. I have to keep you safe."

"You have, Jane. You've kept us both safe, all this time." Maura motioned Jane to sit next to her on the porch. As Jane followed, Maura placed a soft kiss on her lips. "We're still here."

Jane smiled slightly as Maura stroked her cheek. "But Jane, you need to rest. You need to take care of yourself. You can't just take care of me. I admire your courage and care, but you have to know that I can take care of myself too. It's okay to let down your guard once in while."

"I know you can take care of yourself. I've seen you taken down walkers. You're a badass." Jane smiled through her tears. "I just want to protect you, that's all."

Maura laughed. "I am a badass. And so are you. But even a badass needs to rest. So I suggest you go lay down and try to get some sleep. I'll finish preparing the deer so we can have a proper meal."

Jane hesitated, not wanting to leave Maura outside. "I'm okay Jane, I'll be right here."

Jane wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, hugging her tight. "Thank you for putting up with me."

Maura smiled, nuzzling het face into Jane's neck. "What do you mean putting up with you? The world ended and the woman I love is in my arms. I'm endlessly thankful."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Jane woke up from a surprisingly good nap. She was still tired, but she felt a million times better. She heard Maura working in the kitchen. When she walked over, she saw the doctor preparing the deer, slicing the meat carefully with her knife.

Jane watched her girlfriend work from the doorway, Maura not noticing she was being watched. She admired the beauty, working at the countertop. There wasn't much left of the well-dressed, classy medical examiner. She was wearing washed out jeans, a black t-shirt and her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail. Yet she still managed to look absolutely gorgeous.

Jane walked over to her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around Maura's waist, hugging her from behind. "Hello sleepyhead" Maura said smiling, turning around to give Jane a quick kiss. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, very well actually. I guess your little speech worked." Jane said, tickling Maura's side.

"Stop that Jane", she giggled, "Can you go get some water? We don't have much left."

"No problem doctor" Jane said as she kissed her girlfriend, grabbing two buckets to go pump water.

She started pumping, quickly starting to sweat and breath heavily. It was a warm day and the sun burned down at her skin. She took off her shirt, leaving her in a black cotton sports bra. She filled one bucket with water, but when she reached to get the other one, she heard footsteps. Not from a human being. No, she heard the lingering, unsteady footsteps of a walker. She got up quickly and grabbed the knife in het belt loop.

Jane quietly walked towards the sound, ready to kill the monsters. When she reached the edge of the backyard, she saw it. It wasn't just one walker. There were almost a dozen walkers creeping towards her, making those awful, snarling sounds. She saw rotten hands reaching out for her, ready to attack and eat her alive.

Her eyes widened and her breath came in short gasps. She could take them; she had taken down multiple monsters before. She had to take them down. If she didn't, they would walk into the backyard, soon enough finding their way into the house, to her Maura.

Jane didn't hesitate; she ran towards the closest walker and stabbed it in the head, falling down on top of it. Pulling her knife out of the brain, she quickly stood up to face the others, but she wasn't quick enough. Another walker was creeping up to her and she felt the impact of a dead body falling on top of her, grabbing her neck.

She fought with all she had, kicking, beating, she stabbed her knife in its stomach but it didn't help. You can only kill a walker by destroying the brain. Jane screamed, screamed for her life, and screamed for her girlfriend.

Jane managed to push the walker off her, but with that she lost her knife. She took a quick look around and saw the other monsters approaching quickly. She pushed the walker to the ground and stomped on its head, hoping to break the skull and kill the brain. She stomped and stomped, but she didn't have enough time. There were too many monsters.

"This is it", she thought. "They will kill me and Maura will have to live in this hell alone."

A loud scream interrupted her thoughts. "JANE!" Maura came running, gun pointing towards the walkers, shooting the ones that were closest to Jane. Jane quickly grabbed her knife off the ground and started stabbing the other walkers, killing their brains with great force.

The gunshots stopped. Jane was still frantically looking around, trying to find more monsters.

"Jane, they're dead. It's okay, look." Maura said, trying to get through to her panicked girlfriend.

Jane looked around, seeing nothing but dead, rotten bodies and blood. She fell down on her knees, trying to regain a normal breathing pattern.

"Come on Jane, let's get inside. The gunshots probably drew out more of them. We have to get safe." Maura helped Jane get up, helping her inside, setting her down on the couch.

Maura grabbed a cup of water, offering it to Jane. Jane looked up at Maura, covered in sweat and blood.

She realized she had been stupid. Maura could take care of herself. Maura was a strong and intelligent woman. It would take a lot to take down the amazing doctor Isles.

"I'm sorry Maura." Jane said softly.

Maura sat down next to Jane. "Why?" She asked.

"I thought I had to protect you, but I guess sometimes I need some protection myself." Jane grabbed Maura's hand, holding it tight. "You're so strong Maura. You don't need me, you can take care of yourself." She looked at the ground, too embarrassed to look the doctor in the eye.

Maura studied Jane's face, looking at her with eyes full of love. "You're wrong Jane."

"What?"

"You're wrong." Maura said with determination. "I do need you Jane. I love you, with all my heart. I love how you're always protecting; I love how much you care. I can't live without you Jane. And even if I could, I don't want to. Ever. I don't ever want to live without you. I thought I was going to lose you today. A life without you is not a good life, Jane."

Jane finally looked at her girlfriend, trying not to cry but failing. A single tear slowly trickled down her cheek. "That's so sappy." Jane said. Maura laughed and wiped the tear with her thumb.

"I love you too Maura, you know that right?"

"Yes. But I still like it when you tell me now and then." Maura smiled at Jane, pulling her in for a kiss.

After a few minutes of heated kisses, gentle touches and 'I love you's', Jane broke the kiss, pulled Maura into her lap and said: "I know the world ended and we're living in a fucking hell right now, but I'm so happy I'm in this hell with you."

Maura smiled sweetly at her girlfriend. "I don't appreciate the language you are using, but I feel exactly the same. I wouldn't want it any other way, Jane."

"Well I could live without those monsters everywhere, I'd like that another way", Jane laughed.

"You know what I mean Jane. If I have to go through this, I wouldn't want to go through it with anyone else but you."

"I know what you meant," Jane smirked. "I love you."

"I love you too Jane." Maura answered, capturing the detective's lips with her own. "We have to clean ourselves up." Maura said, trying to get up from the couch.

Jane growled, not wanting to break their embrace. But Maura was right. The blood on their clothes could cause an infection. "I'll go finish pumping the water so we can wash ourselves."

"I'll go with you, in case you try to conquer a herd of walkers again," Maura said winking.

Jane pulled Maura in for one last kiss. "I'll try not to do that again."

"Good", Maura said, "Because I love you Jane Rizzoli and I don't want to lose you."

"Don't worry", Jane answered, kissing her girlfriend, "I'm not going anywhere".


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The night was quiet. After securing the backyard, Jane and Maura had a good meal snuggled up on the couch in front of the fireplace.

"What are we going to do Jane?" Maura asked, placing her hand on Jane's thigh. "Are we going to stay here?"

"I don't know…" Jane sighed. "I don't really know what to do anymore. Going back on the road is dangerous. But I don't know if I want to stay here. After what happened today, I don't think it's safe enough."

Maura looked at Jane and saw how tired she was. Tired of wandering around, with only the purpose of staying alive. She couldn't believe she almost lost Jane today. She shivered when she thought about it. Without Jane, it wouldn't make sense to keep going. The purpose of keeping each other alive would be gone. And without a purpose, life just doesn't make sense.

"What are you thinking?" Jane asked, putting a strand of hair behind Maura's ear. Maura smiled at the touch.

"About today, how I almost lost you", she said quietly.

"You didn't. I'm still here."

"Yes, thank God." Maura said. "I just started thinking that I don't want to keep going if I have to go without you."

"You have to, Maura. You have to keep going. This nightmare will end someday. Scientist will find a cure, or there will be a safe place somewhere, or maybe someday all the monsters will be dead. It'll end someday. You should be around to see that."

"So should you, Jane."

"I'll do everything to be around until the end. Together, with you." Jane smiled. "I'm not leaving you Maur."

Maura smiled at her girlfriend. "I love you." 

Before Jane could answer, they heard a scream, coming from the forest outside. Jane quickly got up, grabbing her gun, opening the door. Maura followed, getting her knife, ready to fight.

It was dark and hard to see what was happening. Jane quietly and smoothly entered the forest, her experience of chasing suspects coming in handy. Maura followed closely. Suddenly Jane stopped, hearing footsteps and a female voice calling: "Is anyone out there? Please! My boyfriend is badly hurt! Please help!"

They ran towards the two people coming out of the forest. Maura immediately saw the blood covering the boy's lower body. A girl was holding him up, she couldn't be older than 16. The boy was sweating and moaning in pain.

"What happened? Did he get bit?" Jane asked the girl.

"Yes, yes, his side. They were everywhere and I couldn't stop them. Please help him!" The girl cried, having trouble keeping the boy up.

"Get him inside," Maura ordered, "I'll check the wound."

Jane helped them get inside, putting him in front of the fireplace. The boy had lost consciousness. Maura quickly shed his shirt and saw the gaping wound on his side. But worse, she saw clear teeth marks.

"When did this happen?" Maura asked the girl.

"I-I don't know, an hour ago maybe?" the girl said through her tears.

Maura sighed and looked at Jane. They both knew there was nothing they could do. He was infected; soon he would turn. They all turn.

"Hey, what's your name?" Jane asked the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Emma." She answered.

"I'm Jane, and that's Maura." Jane said with a slight smile. "Emma, he got bit. I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do."

The girl cried harder, hard, silent sobs wrecking her body. "No, you have to do something! Stitch it up; stop the bleeding… Please! Anything!"

"I'm sorry Emma." Maura said softly. "He's infected. There's nothing I can do."

Emma sobbed, stroking the boy's forehead. "I'm so sorry Noah. I'm so sorry."

Maura searched for a pulse, but there was none. She looked at Jane and shook her head. "He's gone." She whispered quietly.

Maura looked at Jane, both knowing he had to be put down before he turned. They had to kill the brain before he had a chance to turn and attack them. Jane gave Maura a nod and she immediately understood. They didn't need words.

"Emma," Maura said quietly, offering the girl her hand, "can you come with me? We don't need to be here now."

Emma looked up at Maura, tears streaking down her face. "Why? I want to stay with him. I don't know you two!"

"You're right, you don't" Jane said. "But we have to put him down, he's going to turn and put us all in danger. He's gone honey. There's nothing you can do. Go with Maura, please. I'll take care of it."

"Put him down?" Emma asked, looking shocked.

"We have to annihilate the brain." Maura explained as she looked at the blonde girl kneeling next to Noah. "We're all infected, Emma. Everyone turns as they decease. They all become monsters. Jane can make sure that doesn't happen."

Reluctantly Emma took Maura's hand and walked with her, sitting down on the porch. The girl let her tears fall, allowing hard sobs to escape her mouth. Maura hesitated, she didn't know this girl; she didn't know if she'd appreciate physical contact right now. But as the girl whimpered and let her head fall into her hands, she couldn't resist the urge. She reached out and put her arms around the sobbing girl. She felt Emma rest her head on her chest, tears soaking her shirt.

She heard the door open and saw her girlfriend, looking pained. Jane nodded. She took care of it. Maura gave her a thankful smile, rubbing Emma's back, trying to soothe her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 **

They had wrapped Noah's body in a blanket, ready to be buried the next morning. Jane had given Emma some water and something to eat, which she devoured gratefully.

"You look starved." Jane said with a smile.

"I'm sorry" Emma said, "I haven't eaten anything in days. Just some berries we found a few days ago."

"It's okay, take as much as you want." Maura said.

They all sat down at the dinner table, not wanting to be near the ghosts that haunted the room in front of the fireplace.

When Emma finished the food she said: "Thank you for the food. And, well, everything else." She looked at Maura sitting next to her.

"You're welcome." Maura said with a smile, brushing Emma's hair back. "Are you feeling better?

"Yeah, thanks. I just… I can't believe he's gone." Emma said, fidgeting with the zipper of her sweatshirt. "It hurts… I miss him."

"Yeah… It does." Jane said. "We've all been through it. It never stops hurting. You just get used to the pain after a while."

Emma looked at Jane, tears in her eyes. Suddenly she laughed. "This is kind of ridiculous, I don't even know you two and you don't even know me."

"Why is it ridiculous? It's okay to help strangers." Maura said with a smile.

"I know." Emma said, "I just don't really trust strangers anymore."

"Where were you before Noah got bit?" Jane asked.

Emma flinched when Jane said Noah's name. She sighed. "We were in some kind of small town. It had walls and good security. I think there were around 60 people. We wandered around for a few weeks before we found it. We lived there for a few months. We thought we had something good going on. We had food, plenty of water and it was safe. The rules were strict, but it was okay." Emma paused.

"What happened?" Maura asked carefully.

"People took it. Bad people came in. They started killing the people that were in charge. They tore the whole place apart. They killed everyone that got in their way. They wanted the camp for themselves, not allowing anyone else in. It was hell. Being outside was better than being in that nightmare."

Maura shivered. They didn't just have to fight the dead. They had to fear the living. If the world comes to and end, so do all the rules. There are no rules in this world. The good guys don't win anymore. Bad guys have free rein.

"Noah and I got out, we were out here for a few weeks before he…" Emma stopped talking, tears getting stuck in her throat.

"You're safe here." Jane said, grabbing Emma's hand. "We've been here for a while, the house is secure. We have water and I can hunt for food. And Maura makes great grilled pecans."

Maura smiled at Jane, admiring her gentleness and kindness with this girl. "You can stay here Emma. For as long as you want."

"Thank you." Emma said with tears in her eyes. "My last name is Miller by the way, Emma Miller. I'm 15. I was trying to make it through high school before all this." She said with a smile.

Maura laughed. "I'm Maura Isles, I'm a doctor; a medical examiner before all this. And this is my girlfriend, Jane Rizzoli. She's a homicide detective."

"That's a cool job." Emma laughed.

"Well yes, I'm very cool." Jane said with a laugh.

"Wait," Emma said, "did you say Jane Rizzoli?"

"Yeah, why?" Jane asked.

"There were people called Rizzoli in the camp! A guy with dark hair and a small boy… I think he was called TJ? Do you know them?"

Jane got up from her chair, looking at the girl with big eyes. "TJ? His dad? Tommy? Did they make it? Where are they?"

"I don't know! No-no, it wasn't his dad; I think they said it was his uncle. He had dark hair, not too tall. They were with a woman I think, but I never really saw her. I don't know if they're alive, we all lost touch after we left."

Jane sat back down, looking deep into Emma's eyes. "Are you absolutely sure? Rizzoli? TJ? Frankie?"

"Yes I'm sure." Emma responded. "Positive. I remember talking to him about the boy, TJ. Very cute kid." She smiled.

Maura felt her throat tighten. Tears were filling her eyes as she looked at Jane's face lighting up. The emptiness in Jane's eyes disappeared. Her girlfriend looked at her with hopeful eyes. There was hope again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The night went by, filled with tears and newfound hope. They buried Noah in the morning, digging a grave for the young boy.

Now Jane and Maura were looking at a pile of fresh sand with an improvised cross, made of sticks. Emma was asleep on the couch. After they buried her boyfriend, she had cried herself to sleep while Maura stroked her hair, mesmerizing and soothing, never leaving her side until Emma fell asleep. The girl had confided in Maura completely. Jane loved how gentle and caring Maura was over the young girl. She had watched them, completely in awe of Maura's motherly tenderness.

Emma had told them everything she knew. Sadly, that wasn't much. Frankie, TJ and possibly her mother were alive a few weeks ago. That's pretty much all they knew right now. They had been in the same camp as the camp where Emma and Noah stayed, until people with bad intentions invaded it. Emma and Noah traveled for almost a month before they ran into Jane and Maura in the small house in the forest.

Jane had no idea where to start looking. They could go into the direction of the camp, but the camp is dangerous. Those people were probably still there and they won't be welcoming visitors. She pained her mind, looking for a way to find her family.

"Jane, honey." Jane felt a warm hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"

Jane looked at her girlfriend, Maura's eyes were red from crying and she looked tired. Jane wrapped her arms around the doctor and hugged her tight. Letting go, she sat down on the porch, Maura sitting next to her.

"It kills me Maura, knowing my family is alive but not being able to be with them." Jane said with a sad look.

"I know sweetheart." Maura pressed her lips against Jane's cheek, holding her tight. "I know."

"I've thought of everything, Jane." Maura said. "Emma knows in which direction the camp should be. We can go look for the camp and go further from there." She sighed. "But it'll take weeks before we reach the camp. And they haven't been staying in the camp for over a month, they could be pretty much anywhere right now."

"Yeah but they can't be far, Maura. If they're still together and they still have TJ, they won't be traveling fast." Jane said while Maura stroked her hair.

"We can look for them. I'll go with you wherever you decide to go." Maura kissed Jane's temple. "My love" she whispered.

"I don't know what I want." Jane said softly. "It's not safe to go. The main roads are dangerous. Even if we manage to find a car and we can get it going, there are herds of walkers everywhere. We'll have to go on foot, using the shelter of the forests. It'll take weeks; it'll be exhausting and dangerous. We don't have much ammo left, so we only have knifes to protect ourselves." She looked into hazel eyes, feeling nothing but love for her girlfriend. "I don't want to put you in danger."

"We'll be okay, we've done it before." Maura said.

Jane sighed. "But we can't leave Emma. She's only 15." Jane thought about the girl on the couch. Emma had to go with them. Jane had to protect both of them now. They offered Emma shelter; she was their responsibility now.

"If we decide to go, she'll go with us." Maura said, massaging Jane's aching hands. "We'll take care of her. I want to. She's a smart girl and she's strong. She'll go with us."

Jane looked at her hands, still in Maura's. They hurt from burying the grave. Her scars ached. "We don't even know if she wants to stay with us, Maur." She said.

"I do." Jane turned her head, seeing Emma standing in the doorway. "I can help find your family. I'll go with you. If you want me to."

"Of course we want you to." Maura said, inviting Emma to sit next to her.

"Thank you Emma." Jane said, reaching over Maura to squeeze Emma's hand. She looked into clear blue eyes, eyes that showed too much pain for a 15-year old girl.

"Did you sleep well?" Maura asked the girl.

"Yeah. I just have a terrible headache now." Emma answered, rubbing her forehead.

"Crying can cause dehydration. Headaches come with dehydration. You should drink something." Maura said.

Emma's gaze wandered to the fresh grave. "I don't want to cry anymore." Emma said softly.

"I know honey." Maura stroked her messy blonde hair, trying to smooth it. "It's okay to cry. It's part of the grieving process. You don't have to fight it." She pressed a kiss to the girl's temple.

Tears fell down Emma's cheeks again. "I miss you so much, Noah." She whispered.

Jane watched Maura wrap the girl in her arms, hugging her tight. Emma let herself fall into the embrace. A sob interrupted a deep sigh.

Jane imagined it was their daughter in Maura's arms. She imagined having a family with Maura, being parents with her. She listened to Maura's soothing words, comforting Emma. She thought about Maura being a mother. She would be an amazing mom, Jane thought. The love she felt for her girlfriend overwhelmed her. "How did I get so lucky?" she whispered.

"What?" Maura asked, turning her head but still holding the girl tightly to her chest.

"Nothing." Jane said. She gave Maura a quick kiss on her lips. "I love you. I'll go get you some water."

"Thank you. I love you too Jane." Maura answered with a smile.

When Jane got back, holding two glasses of water, she saw Maura and Emma engaged in conversation. She listened, standing in the doorway.

"It wasn't exactly love at first sight," Maura told Emma, laughing. "I think Jane didn't like me very much me when she first met me. That may had something to do with the fact that I thought she was a prostitute."

She laughed when the girl gave her a confused look. "Jane worked in the drug unit, she was undercover as a prostitute. I offered to pay for her coffee. And I gave her some advice to stay healthy. She didn't appreciate it." They both laughed.

"Anyway, after a few years of working together, we became close friends. And pretty soon I realized I had feelings for her. It took Jane a little longer to admit it, but she felt the same way. We've been together for over a year now."

"You guys are cute together. I think you're a great couple." Emma said, causing Maura to smile.

"I think so too." She said softly. "Sometimes I still can't believe Jane Rizzoli fell in love with me." Maura laughed. "But somehow she did. I'm lucky." She looked at Emma, smiling.

"I was lucky too." Emma softly. "Noah was always protecting me. He always thought he was real tough." She laughed.

"Really tough." Maura corrected the girl.

"What?"

"Real tough is grammatically incorrect, it should be really tough."

Emma looked confused. Jane laughed quietly, still watching them. She hated it when Maura corrected her, but the doctor just couldn't help herself.

"Okay. Real-ly tough. Anyway. Noah wasn't really as tough as he thought he was." Emma giggled. "He was a little clumsy actually. But I was still lucky." She looked at the little cross on the grave. Her smile faded.

Maura put her arm around Emma's shoulders. "You'll get lucky again. Everything will be okay."

"How do you know?" Emma asked, her voice dropping.

Maura sighed. "I don't know. I just have to believe it's going to be okay." She placed her hand on Emma's chin, forcing the girl to look at her.

"We're here for you Emma. We'll make sure you're okay, Jane and I. I promise."

Emma wrapped her thin arms around Maura's neck. Maura smiled and hugged her back. She turned her head, seeing Jane standing in the doorway.

Jane walked over to the two, offering them the glasses of water. Emma let go of Maura and grabbed the glass, drinking the water gratefully.

Jane sat next to her girlfriend and kissed Maura's temple. "So the three of us are gonna go on the big search for the Rizzoli family?" She asked.

Maura looked at her girlfriend and smiled. "Yes Jane."

"When are we leaving?" Emma asked.

"We should strengthen up first," Maura said. "Find supplies, assemble enough food and water. And I think you need at least a day of rest before we leave." Maura said to Emma as she tucked a loose strand of light blond hair behind the girl's ear.

"I'll go rest right now!" Emma said while getting up from the porch. "The more I rest, the sooner we can leave right?"

Maura laughed. "Yes honey, something like that. Go rest. But first drink one more glass of water!" She called after the girl who was already halfway into the house.

Jane smiled. "You're amazing." She pulled Maura in for a deep kiss.

Maura smiled into the kiss and asked: "Why?"

"Shh," she shushed "No reason. You just are. Now kiss me."

Maura wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, kissing her back. As her tongue entered Jane's mouth, Jane felt familiar butterflies in her stomach. She was still head over heels in love with this woman. Maura let out a small whimper when Jane broke the kiss. 

"I can't believe how much I love you." Jane said, her hands trailing down Maura's chest, tracing her beautiful freckles.

Maura's eyes filled with tears as she smiled and said "I love you too Jane. So, so much." She placed a small kiss on Jane's lips. "And we're going to find your family."

"Our family." Jane corrected.

Maura stroked Jane's black curls and looked into deep, brown eyes. "Our family. Now finish that kiss before this gets too sappy for you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

They had been travelling for a few days now. They walked mostly through the woods, spending the nights camping or, if they were lucky, in an empty cabin or house they found along the way.

They were heading in the direction of the camp Emma and Noah came from. They didn't know exactly where they were, but they couldn't be far off.

Maura felt their losses weighing heavy on them. They felt the pain of the empty space left by Frost. Along with Emma, they carried the loss of Noah. The insecurities made Maura tired. Wondering what happened to her parents in Paris, her sister Cailin, Jane's family and their friends at BPD… She tried not to think about it. But she felt the losses; she felt the grief.

Maura held on to the newfound hope in Jane's eyes. They had a new purpose; finding Jane's family. Finding their family. She held on to the never-ending love she felt for her girlfriend. She held on to the new love she had developed for Emma.

She saw that Emma was having a hard time. Maura was used to Jane's quick pace, but the 15-year old girl wasn't. She was exhausted, still pained by everything she's been through. They both became very fond of the girl, she felt like family.

But she was getting tired; she couldn't take this much longer.

Jane was walking a few steps ahead of Maura and Emma, making her way through the woods. They were sweaty and tired. The trees gave them shelter and shadow, but the sun was still burning. She saw the bones sticking out of Jane's back, she saw Emma's sunken cheeks, and she noticed her own curves disappearing. It was getting tough.

Maura ran a few steps, getting next to Jane while Emma stayed a few steps behind.

"Jane, we have to rest for a while. You're going too fast for her." Maura said softly.

Jane looked back, seeing the girl panting, looking exhausted. She looked around. "We'll stop over there, by those trees."

Maura looked at Jane and saw the focused look in her beautiful dark eyes. "I know you want to find your family as fast as possible, Jane. We're doing everything we can."

"I know you do." Jane answered.

Maura stood still, catching up with Emma. She put her hand on the girl's back. "We'll take a break soon."

"It's okay" Emma answered, "I can keep going. Jane doesn't want to stop."

"No, but I do." Maura said, smiling at Emma.

When they reached the group of trees, Maura guided Emma to sit down against a big tree while Jane made sure the area was safe.

As soon as Emma sat down, Maura heard the snarling sound of a walker.

"I'll get him." Jane said, running towards the monster. She kicked the walker on the ground, stabbing her knife in its head. When she pulled her knife out of the monster's brain, she walked around the area, carefully listening for more. It was quiet.

But the quietness didn't take long. Walkers aren't usually by themselves. They travel in herds, looking for fresh meat. And there it was. There must have been at least 30 of them. Awful, gross looking monsters heading towards them.

Maura grabbed Jane's wrist and pointed in the direction of the herd. Jane turned around. "Shit." She said. "We have to go. Now!"

"Emma!" Jane called the girl sitting against the tree. Maura helped her up and they started running, the herd of monsters following them.

Walkers aren't fast, but in a group like that it's impossible to kill them. There were simply too many of them. They had no choice but to run for their lives.

They ran through the forest as fast as they could. Walkers came from everywhere. They stabbed the ones that were getting too close and ran.

Maura didn't know for how long they were running. They had to get out of that forest but it seemed to go on forever. She felt the air burning in her lungs, her legs hurt and her heart raced.

"This way!" Jane panted. "I see something, I think it's the edge of the forest."

Maura followed, but when she looked around to see if Emma was keeping up with them, she heard the girl scream. "NO!"

A walker had caught up to her and had slammed her to the ground. In a flash Jane was next to her, kicking the walker off of her and stabbing the monster in the brain.

"It hurts" Emma whimpered.

Maura kneeled next to the girl. "Did it bite you?"

"No, no, I-I twisted my foot or something. I don't know, it hurts."

"We have to go!" Jane said.

Maura saw the herd approaching fast. "Emma, can you walk?"

The girl tried to stand up but flinched as soon as she put weight on her left leg. She started crying. "No-no, it hurts!"

"Come on, jump on my back!" Jane took Emma on her back, carrying her, running as fast as she could with the extra weight.

Maura ran in front of them, kicking and stabbing walkers that were getting too close. She felt the exhaustion; her body was starting to give up. With every step it was getting more difficult to lift her legs. But she had to. She had to make it. She had to be around to see this nightmare ending.

Suddenly she felt solid ground beneath her feet. They had reached a highway. She looked at her girlfriend, panting and sweating while she carried the still crying girl. Emma was holding on to Jane for dear life.

"Come on sweetie, just a little more." Maura panted.

She looked around and saw that they had created a good head start on the herd.

"Look!" Emma said suddenly. "A car! Over there!"

Maura looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a green pickup truck in the middle of the road. "Oh thank god," she whispered. "Please let it work."

When they reached the truck, Jane put Emma down in the backseat. Maura saw a key in the ignition; the owners must have been forced to get out of it quickly. She tried to start the engine. The truck sputtered but didn't start. "Shit." In a flash Jane had opened the hood and starting checking wires.

Maura looked at Emma in the backseat and saw the herd of walkers approaching. It was unlikely that the herd could take down this truck, but it was still vital that they got the car going.

"Maura, try again!" She heard Jane say from under the hood.

She turned the key and after a small sputter, she heard the engine start.

Jane closed the hood and jumped behind the wheel while Maura ran around to sit next to her.

Jane took off with immense speed, increasing the distance between them and the herd.

They drove in silence for a long time, still panting and trying to regulate their breathing.

"I think we shook them off." Maura said. "Do you think it's safe to stop here? I need to check out Emma's foot."

"Just a little further." Jane kept focusing on the road.

Maura turned around in her seat to look at Emma. "How's the pain?"

Emma looked at Maura. Her skin looked pale, her eyes were read from crying and she was soaked with sweat. "It's alright as long as I don't move." She said quietly.

"It's going to be okay sweetie." Maura said in a soothing voice.

"I can't walk Maura. It doesn't make any sense for you to drag around a random girl who can't even walk. I'm slowing you down." Emma said, looking out of the window.

"First of all, you're not just a random girl." Jane said. "And secondly: yeah it does make sense. We said we'd take care of you didn't we? I don't like to break promises."

Maura saw tears forming in Emma's eyes.

It surprised Maura how much you can start to care about someone in just a few weeks.

Emma had confided in Jane and Maura, trusting them with her stories and her life. She was raised by her single father, he got attacked by walkers a few months ago. She had an older brother who lived in New York. She had no idea what happened to him. She ran off with Noah. When she lost Noah, she lost everything. And here she was, sitting in the backseat with Jane and Maura, on the road to find a family she didn't even know. Maura admired the girl. She kept going, no matter what. For a 15-year old, she was extremely strong.

When Maura saw Emma's face she climbed out of her seat to sit next to her, brushing her sweaty hair back.

"Jane is right. You're not some random girl." Maura smiled sweetly at Emma. "Honey, look at me." She met with clear blue eyes. "You're helping us find our family."

She wiped the tears off the Emma's cheeks. "Talk to me Emma."

Emma looked at her hands in her lap, breaking eye contact. "I'm scared."

"Why?" Maura asked gently.

Emma spoke softly, almost a whisper. "You'd be so moving much faster without me. But I don't stand a chance out here on my own. I trust you, I really do. It's just… I'm only 15. I'm not strong enough to kill walkers and I'm not as fast as you are. I'm…" her voice broke, tears falling from her eyes. "I'm afraid you'll leave me."

Maura felt tears coming up, her throat tightening. "Oh honey." She said while she wiped her own tears away. "I'm so sorry we ever gave you that feeling, Emma."

"You didn't, it's not your fault. It's just something I make up in my head." Emma said.

"Things you make up in your head aren't real, Emma." Jane said. She had slowed down the car a little, trying to find a safe place to stop.

"Sweetheart, I want you to listen to me very carefully." Maura looked deep into the girl's eyes. "We're not leaving you. I promise."

"Yeah, you're stuck with us now, baby." Jane said, smiling.

Emma showed a slight smile.

"You're not just some girl we met a few weeks ago." Maura brushed Emma's hair back and kissed her forehead. "You're my girl. Our girl. I'm not letting you go anywhere."

"Unless you want to go of course, I don't want you to think we're keeping you hostage or anything." Jane joked, trying to defuse the tension. She had moved off the highroad, driving on a small bumpy road.

Emma smiled but the tears kept falling down her cheeks. The girl looked at them, her eyes showing disbelief. She wasn't used to the kind of motherly love Jane and Maura offered her. "I want to stay with you."

"Good. Because I don't really want you to go anywhere." Maura responded. "You're with us now."

Emma laughed, wiping her tears away.

Maura felt tiny arms wrap around her neck. She squeezed the girl tight, kissing the top of her head. "It's okay, my girl." She said quietly. They held each other for a moment, getting lost in their thoughts. As Maura broke the embrace she said: "I really have to take a look at your foot now. Jane, can we stop?"

"Yeah, this is a good place." Jane drove into a small lane and turned off the engine.

Maura made Emma lay down in the backseat while she examined the girl's ankle. She mumbled a lot of medical terms, explaining what she saw. The ankle was extremely swollen and bruised. Emma flinched with every small touch.

"Is she okay?" Jane asked, placing a hand on Maura's lower back.

"She will be. It's a distortion in the anterior inferior tibiofobular ligament. It looks bad now, but it'll heal."

Jane looked at her girlfriend with a blank face, making clear that 'anterior inferior tibiofobular ligament' was not part of her vocabulary.

"A sprained ankle." Maura cleared up. "She'll be okay, but she needs rest."

She turned to Emma. "You can't put weight on it and try not to move too much. Your muscles need rest to heal."

"We have to go on by car." Jane said, looking out on the lane they were parked.

Maura got up and looked at her girlfriend. "It'll be okay Jane. We'll avoid the biggest main roads, we can do it."

She looked at Emma, who was laying down in the backseat, clearly exhausted. She had a hard time keeping her eyes open.

"Get some rest, honey. Try to keep your foot lifted." Maura said. She smiled at Emma. "It's okay."

She softly squeezed Emma's leg as the girl closed her eyes, too tired to respond.

Maura looked at her girlfriend who was leaning against the front of the car. She walked over and put her hand on Jane's arm.

Jane wrapped her arms around Maura, hugging her close to her chest. Maura leaned eagerly into the embrace, enjoying the familiar feel of her girlfriend.

They let silence fall in. They couldn't find words. They didn't need them. They almost lost each other today, again. It was exhausting to fight for your own life. It was even more exhausting to fight for the lives of the people you love.

"I don't know where we are." Jane whispered, still hugging the doctor.

Maura immediately knew what Jane meant. She had noticed the problem herself. They ran for a long time without knowing in which direction they were going. They had driven for almost an hour, also not knowing where they were going. They were completely off track. Maybe even too far to find it again.

"What if we never find them?" Maura heard tears in Jane's voice.

She tenderly kissed Jane's lips. "We'll find them Jane."

Maura felt Jane letting her go, moving her hands into her own lap. "What if we don't, Maur?" Jane looked at her, tears filling her eyes. "What if we never find them?"

Maura tried to find words to soothe her girlfriend; she tried to tell her it was all going to be okay. But she couldn't. She rested her hand against Jane's cheek. "We're still together, Jane." Maura said softly. "That's all I have." She wiped Jane's tears away with her thumb. "I'm not going anywhere."

Jane buried her head in the crook of Maura's neck while Maura hugged her close. "I love you Maur." Jane mumbled.

"I love you too." Maura answered softly, stroking Jane's back. "My love."

They stayed like that for a long time, at loss for words. They had no idea how to continue the search. They were inescapably lost.

_A/N Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm very excited about this story, so I'd love to hear what you think. Where would you like to see this story going? Feedback is greatly appreciated! (Also, English is not my native language so I apologize for any mistakes.) _


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Emma, honey, wake up." Jane carefully shook Emma's shoulder, trying to wake the girl who was still sleeping in the backseat.

She growled as she slowly opened her eyes, seeing the detective looking down at her. "How long have I been sleeping?" She asked with a sleepy voice.

"An hour, maybe two." Jane answered as she helped Emma to sit up straight without moving her sprained ankle. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little. I'm not as tired anymore. I just feel bad… I have no idea in which direction the camp should be." Emma said softly.

"It's not your fault." Jane said with a sweet voice.

"What are we going to do?"

"We decided to keep on following this road. Maybe we find a place to stay for a while." Jane stopped talking. Her gaze wandered to her girlfriend leaning against the truck, looking in the distance with empty eyes. "We don't know what else to do."

"I'm sorry." Emma looked at the ground, not wanting to look directly at Jane.

"Don't be." Jane brushed Emma's hair back, trying to create eye contact. "It's not your fault we ran into that herd, honey. Please don't feel bad."

Jane saw the girl looking at her, giving her a small smile.

"There, that's what I like to see." Jane said, smiling. "You're much prettier when you smile."

Emma laughed. "Yeah sure."

"Yep." Jane kissed her forehead. "Come on, we have to keep going. Do you want the front seat or do you want to stay here?"

"She should stay in the backseat," Maura called from outside of the car. "Her foot has to stay lifted."

"We're trying to have a nice road trip here Maur. You're such a buzzkill." Jane winked at Emma.

"It's okay, I like the backseat." Emma said, laughing.

Jane moved to sit in the front seat while Maura got behind the wheel to drive. They drove for hours without seeing any sign of life. Maura and Emma were having endless conversations about life, school, boyfriends, and everything that came up along the way. Jane was quiet. She looked out of the window, her eyes searching. She didn't know what she was looking for. She looked for a sign, something that could tell them where to go next. She looked for something, anything that could tell her where to find her family.

She thought about her mother, one of the strongest women she knew. She thought about Frankie, who would do literally anything to protect his family. She thought about TJ, who was too little to take care of himself. She couldn't help but hope they were all together, somewhere in a safe place. She might be complaining about her family a lot, but she loved them with all her heart.

She worried about Tommy and her father. Hell, she even worried about Lydia. She had no idea where to find them and she hated insecurity.

She felt a warm hand on her thigh. "Jane, look." Maura said, pointing in the distance.

Jane saw a meadow, aligned with what looked like a low barbed wire fence. Behind the meadow, a few miles out, she saw a house that looked like a farm.

"We should go there. It doesn't look like there are people there, we haven't seen a single soul in hours." Maura said. "We don't have much gas left and it's getting dark soon, we should find a place to spend the night."

"Yeah, good idea."

They drove in the direction of the meadow, finding the driveway of the farm. Maura stopped the car.

"Emma, I want you to stay in the car okay?" Jane turned around in her seat while Maura got out of the truck and opened the door next to Emma.

"By myself?" Emma said with a scared voice.

"Jane and I are going to make sure the house is safe. We'll come and get you as soon as we checked everything." Maura said. "If you keep the doors closed, nothing can happen."

Emma nodded, still looking insecure, afraid to be alone. "You'll be fine sweetheart. We'll be back before you know it." Maura kissed Emma's forehead and enveloped her in a sweet hug. "I promise."

Jane quietly opened the front door and stepped inside. She grabbed an umbrella that was next to the door and banged it against the doorpost. If there were any walkers on this floor, they would come out following the noise. Nothing happened.

They did the same in all the rooms, but it stayed quiet. The house looked like it was never touched by monsters.

Jane looked at the pictures on the wall. Framed pictured of a big family, looking happy and carefree. She wondered what happened to them.

A few months ago she felt weird invading someone else's house. But the more often they stayed in different houses, the more she got used to it. She thought about her own apartment and hoped other people would be using it as a safe place to stay.

"Jane, look." Maura walked up to Jane, holding a note in her hand.

Jane took the note and read it.

_Jimmy, we are going to Atlanta, Georgia. We heard there is a camp there, with medical care for your dad. Please come after us. Stay strong, we love you. Kisses, Susan, Bobby, Jen, mom and dad. _

"Do you think this camp is real?" Jane asked, looking at Maura.

"Could be."

"Georgia… I don't exactly know where we are but I do know that we're nowhere near Georgia." Jane said, looking out of the window.

"I know." Maura answered. "Atlanta is over a thousand miles from Boston."

Jane looked at her girlfriend. She knew Maura was thinking the same thing. Maybe the Rizzoli family heard of the camp too.

Jane felt Maura pulling her in for a kiss. As their lips met, Jane wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, holding her close.

"We'll go with you wherever you go, Jane." Maura whispered while she stretched to rest her forehead against Jane's.

"I know." She smiled. "I love you so much." Jane put a strand of hair behind Maura's ear as she looked into her eyes.

"I love you too Jane." Maura gave her girlfriend one more kiss. "But there is a girl in the car waiting for us and she's probably terrified." Maura smiled.

As the night fell Jane had made a fire in the fireplace of the living room. The kitchen was filled with a large stock of canned food, so they had all devoured a bowl of canned beans. They were tired and content.

Emma was sitting on a pillow in front of the fireplace, burning sticks and playing with the tiny flames that burnt them. Jane and Maura were snuggled up on the couch, Maura settled closely into Jane's side.

Jane sighed and pulled Maura closer to her.

"What's on your mind, Jane?" Maura asked.

Jane looked at Emma sitting in front of the fireplace. "We found a good place here. It's secure; the barbed wire will keep walkers out. We didn't see anything dangerous for hours before we got here."

Jane moved to stroke Maura's hair. She remembered the time when every single hair was in place, perfect blond curls framing the doctor's beautiful face. Now her hair was messy, fluffy and straighter. It still looked great on her. Maura Isles could pull off any look.

"There is a well full of water, canned food for at least two months and a forest in the back." Jane moved her hand from Maura's hair to her lap, massaging her aching scars. "But my family can still be out there."

"We can stay here, Jane." Maura said. "We can always decide to go to Atlanta later."

"It's a long trip. We need a better car and enough gas. And Emma needs to heal first." Jane said absent-mindedly.

Maura placed her hand on Jane's cheek, forcing her girlfriend to look at her. "We have time. We don't have to decide anything right now." She pressed her lips against Jane's forehead. "There's time, my love."

Jane felt a lump in her throat, her eyes filled with tears. "God Maura." She whispered, wiping her eyes. Once again, love overwhelmed her.

Maura laughed and kissed Jane's tears away. "I love you, Jane."

Jane answered with a deep kiss, the lump in her throat made it impossible to speak. She pulled their bodies flush together as Jane lowered them on the couch. Her tongue entered the doctor's mouth as Maura's hands roamed over Jane's muscular stomach. She let out a soft moan.

"Are you guys doing gross things over there?" Emma said with a smile in her voice.

"No, nothing gross. Very delicious actually." Jane smirked, looking into Maura's eyes.

"Eww. Yeah, I said you're a cute couple but I'm not interested in that." Emma said. She tried to get up but whimpered when she moved her leg.

"Don't put weight on your ankle!"

Maura quickly stood up from the couch. Jane growled at the loss of contact. She didn't want to complain, but the recent lack of sexual contact was getting frustrating. She missed the intimacy.

Jane watched Maura help Emma get up and sit down in a big armchair. "We might actually be sleeping in a bed tonight." Maura said looking excited. "There's a master bedroom with a double bed and I saw at least two single bedrooms."

"I'll secure the doors and windows, just to be sure." Jane said while she got up from the couch. Their make-out session clearly wouldn't be continued right now. She hoped for a peaceful night and some welcome alone time with her girlfriend, maybe even some sexy time. She grinned at the thought.

"Thanks Jane."

Jane saw Maura patting the space next to her on the couch, inviting Emma to come sit next to her. Emma hopped a few steps and plumped on the couch, resting her head on Maura's shoulder. Maura put her arms around the girl and rested her head on top of Emma's while they looked into the mesmerizing flames of the fireplace. They enjoyed the contact without speaking, the girl feeling the safety in motherly arms.

Jane witnessed their own little home made family and smiled. She missed the Rizzoli family terribly, but that empty space was now partially filled with the two people sitting on the couch. The pain would never go away, but Jane was starting to get used to it. It was a part of life now. And together with her Maura, that life wasn't bad at all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Sunlight streamed through the bedroom window, announcing a new day. Maura woke up feeling well rested and satisfied. She felt Jane's strong arms wrapped around her, their naked bodies intertwined. The doctor smiled when she remembered last night, feeling tingles in her stomach. She had missed her beautiful girlfriend.

She turned her head to look at the detective lying next to her, still asleep. She carefully traced patterns on Jane's chest, admiring her beauty. Her strong jawline, her tanned, olive skin, those beautiful dark curls that never stay in place… Maura loved all of it.

Jane slowly opened her eyes, noticing her girlfriend was watching her.

"Good morning, beauty." Maura said softly, still caressing Jane's chest.

"Hi there." Jane said with a sleepy voice.

Maura kissed Jane's lips. "Thank you for last night."

Jane hummed and pulled Maura on top of her, their bodies flush together. "It was my pleasure." She said as she pressed her lips against Maura's, tongues quickly finding each other, hands roaming, bodies tingling.

When they had to break the kiss to breathe, Maura buried her head in the crook of Jane's neck; her favorite place in the whole world. "I love you so much Jane Rizzoli."

Jane tangled her hand in the doctor's hair. "I love you more."

Maura kissed Jane's neck. "That's not possible."

They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the touch without the barrier of clothing.

Suddenly, Jane said: "Marry me Maura."

Maura lifted her head to look at her girlfriend. "What?"

"I know you deserve a better marriage proposal than that, but I…"

"That was a marriage proposal?" Maura interrupted Jane with a big smile.

"Yeah. But I wasn't finished, listen:"

"Yes. Yes, Jane. A thousand times yes." Maura pressed kisses all over Jane's face.

Jane took Maura's head in her hands and laughed. "Will you stop interrupting me and let me finish the speech I prepared in my head?"

"I'm sorry." Maura said, the smile on her face never fading.

Jane sat up against the headboard. Maura sat down in Jane's lap, facing her girlfriend.

"Maur, I-"

"Yes!" Maura interrupted again, she couldn't help herself. She wanted this more than anything. Jane gave her an annoyed look.

"Sorry."

"Thank you." Jane smiled. "I know we're in this crazy world and I know there's no government or churches to marry us officially, and I hadn't planned on doing this speech right now but I never want to spend any minute of my life without you again. I love you, even if you can't believe it sometimes."

Maura tried to stop the tears she felt coming but she failed.

"I love every part of you and I want to spend my life with you, even if that life exists in a nightmare now. Maura Isles, will you be my unofficial wife?"

When Maura didn't answer, Jane added: "I'm finished now."

Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's neck, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I want to be your unofficial wife Jane, more than anything."

They kissed passionately, filled with eternal love. "Oh Jane." Maura whimpered, breathing heavily.

"Should we have sex to make our unofficial marriage kind of official?" Jane said with a smirk.

"Hmm, definitely." Maura said while she bit her lip and Jane brought them down to the bed again.

After what was possibly one of the best hours of Maura's life, they both got dressed to fix breakfast. When Maura was at the top of the stairs, she heard a voice from the other end of the hall calling her. "I'll check." She said as her new wife went downstairs.

Maura opened the door of the bedroom where Emma had slept that night. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just need some help getting downstairs and stuff…" Emma said.

"Of course." Maura smiled and walked into the bedroom. "Can I take a look at you ankle first?"

"Sure." Emma lifted her leg, showing Maura her foot.

"It looks better!" Maura said with a smile. "How's the pain?"

"It's good. I just can't move it, that still hurts."

"You shouldn't. Give it a few more days. And keep it lifted as much as possible." Maura put Emma's sock back on and rolled down the leg of her pants. "Did you sleep well?"

Emma fumbled with the sheets on the bed. "Not really."

"Why not? Was the bed uncomfortable?"

"No, the bed is fine. I actually did sleep, I just… It's stupid." She blushed.

"Nothing is stupid, Emma." Maura said while she stroked the girl's leg.

She sighed. "I had a dream about Noah. It bummed me out, that's all."

"I'm sorry honey." Maura kissed her forehead. "You know, Jane used to have nightmares all the time. You know what she did?"

Emma shook her head.

"She would come to me. Even before we were a couple. She'd come over to my house and we'd have coffee and we talked about it. It helps."

"It wasn't a nightmare." Emma said softly. "It was happy. He was with me and we were hanging out with friends, just having fun. But then I woke up" Emma's voice turned to a whisper. "And I realized it was just a dream."

Maura stroked Emma's cheek. "Oh sweetheart." She smoothed Emma's hair, still messy from sleeping. "The next time you wake up like that, just wake me. We'll talk about it, or talk about anything else, whatever you need. Okay?"

"Okay." Emma smiled shyly.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Good. Now let's get you downstairs, Jane and I have something to tell you."

_A/N A short, happy chapter because I'm sick… After this it will get less happy and pretty sad. But it'll be okay. Feedback is appreciated! _


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 **

Jane and Maura had told Emma the news of their unofficial marriage a week ago. Life had been peaceful and even kind of happy. Emma's ankle was getting better; she was walking again and helped around the house wherever she could.

In spite of the happiness and warmth she felt for Maura and Emma, Jane couldn't stop thinking about her family. She missed them terribly and she worried about them, but she didn't want to put Maura and Emma in danger by going to Atlanta. She kept delaying a decision. She liked things the way they were now, but she still couldn't let her family go. It was an endless struggle.

It had been a quiet day. Jane had heated yet another can of beans and was preparing three plates at the kitchen table.

"Dinner's ready!" Jane called to Maura and Emma.

She loved their domesticated life at the farm, but she tried not to get used to it. Usually, when things started to feel safe in this world, it was just a sign for everything to break down again. So Jane was always alert, always keeping an eye out for danger.

They ate quietly, simply enjoying each other's company. Jane noticed Emma was just moving food around on her plate, not eating anything.

"You okay Em?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're not eating."

"I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat something Emma. At least finish half of it." Maura said, pointing at Emma's full plate.

"Jeez, it's just like you've got a real mom isn't it?" Jane said with a smirk. Emma laughed but stopped when she saw Maura giving Jane an angry look.

"She's right though, you have to eat." Jane added quickly.

Emma sighed and looked at her plate.

"Are you feeling alright?" Maura placed her hand on Emma's forehead, checking for a fever.

"I don't know… My stomach hurts a little and I've had a headache all day."

"You feel warm." Maura looked worried. "Have you experienced irregular or unusual bowel movement?"

Emma looked confused.

"She's asking if you're poop's been weird lately." Jane explained.

"Gross. I don't know. I don't study my poop." Emma said with a disgusted face.

"I'm glad to hear that." Jane joked. "It would be a little weird if you did."

Jane saw that her wife was not amused by her clearly awesome comedy skills. Maura was still studying the girl, looking worried. "Just try to eat something, even if it's just a little bit." She said. "And make sure you get a lot of sleep tonight, okay?"

Emma nodded, slowly scooping some beans on her spoon.

"Good girl." Jane placed a kiss on the girl's temple.

Jane and Maura were asleep in the master bedroom, snuggled up closely when they a small voice wake them. "Jane? Maura?"

Jane slowly opened her eyes, seeing Emma standing in front of their bed, her hands on her stomach. Jane softly shook her wife's shoulder to wake her up. "What's wrong sweetie?" She asked Emma.

"I don't feel good." Emma answered. She looked very pale, she was shaking but Jane saw her hair sticking to her sweaty forehead.

"Come here." Maura patted on the bed, inviting Emma to in between them. Emma crawled on the bed as Maura put her hand against her forehead. She took it back too quickly. "You have a fever."

Jane brushed Emma's hair back and felt the heat radiating of the girl. "And not a small one. Baby, you're burning up."

"Emma, what are you feeling? Are you in pain?" Maura said sweetly but professionally.

"My stomach hurts very bad, the headache got worse... And my chest hurts."

"That could all be coming from the fever…" Maura was thinking out loud. "But not the stomach pain. Where exactly does your stomach hurt?"

Emma clutched her knees to her chest, her face grimacing with pain. "Everywhere. Especially the lower part."

"Can you lower your legs sweetie? I need to examine your stomach."

Jane helped Emma to lie down, stroking her hot forehead. Maura looked at her stomach; pressing different parts that made Emma flinch, mumbling medical terminology.

"What is it Maura?" Jane asked concerned.

"I'm not sure. It could be regular seasonal influenza." Maura said, lost in thought.

"What's that?" Emma asked softly.

"It could be just some kind of stomach flu." Maura put her hand on Emma's arm, trying to soothe her. "You need some painkillers or aspirin. Jane, will you go with me to look for medicine please?" Jane looked at her wife and saw the serious look in her eyes. It wasn't just the flu.

"We'll be right back." She kissed Emma's head and walked with Maura to the bathroom.

Maura started searching through all the cabinets, trying to find anything that would make the pain go away and the fever drop.

"Talk to me Maur. What are you thinking?" Jane said, standing in the doorway.

Maura sighed and looked at her wife. "Her fever is way too high. I can tell the stomach pains are very bad and she said her chest hurts. That's not a good sign, Jane. It could be a bacterial infection, which could be cured with antibiotics, but we don't have antibiotics. It could also be a viral infection. In that case there's a good chance you and I are both infected by now and even if we somehow got antibiotics, it won't help."

"Is there any way of knowing which one it is?"

Maura continued her search through the cabinets. "Not yet. Her fever has to come down first." She grabbed a box of aspirin and looked at her wife. "The fever is too high, Jane." She said softly.

Jane saw the concern in her eyes. That was not a good sign. If doctor Maura Isles was concerned, it was serious.

"Should we stay away from her to avoid infection?" Jane asked.

"I'm afraid that won't help anymore. If it is indeed a viral infection, we're already infected. We breathed her air and we're close to her everyday." Maura walked over to Jane and pulled her in for a hug. "And I don't want to force ourselves to create a distance. She needs us now."

Jane held Maura close to her chest. She heard her wife sigh deeply. "It'll be okay Maur." She said softly.

"I hope so." Jane heard sadness in her wife's voice. The kind of sadness that made her even more concerned.

They walked back to their bedroom where they saw Emma laying down, clutching her stomach in the fetal position.

"Emma, honey," Maura carefully caressed the girl's back. "You need to take these aspirins. It'll help to relieve some of the pain and hopefully take down the fever a little bit."

Emma growled when she got up. She took the aspirins with a glass of water Jane had offered her.

"C'mere." Jane opened her arms for the young girl. Emma let herself fall down in them, squeezing Jane's side with one arm as her other arm still clutched her stomach. "You'll be okay." Jane said while she stroked Emma's back.

Jane started to sweat immediately, feeling the heat coming from the girl that clung to her. She felt the rapid heartbeat and heard Emma's breath coming in short gasps. She worried.

She prayed it was just the flu, but she knew better. She saw the concern in the eyes of her wife lying next to her. Emma needed help. The fever needed to drop.

Jane hated the helplessness she felt. She hated seeing Emma in so much pain. The only thing she could do was holding her girl and hope. Hope and pray that the pain would stop and the fever would drop. Hope and prayer was all she had.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

After what seemed like hours, Emma had finally fallen asleep in Jane's arms. Maura was lying next to them but she couldn't sleep. She knew Jane wasn't sleeping either. The doctor couldn't stop her mind from exploring every possible sickness she knew. It only made her worry even more.

One thing kept entering her mind. A possibility she didn't want to think about, but she couldn't help it. What if Emma was bitten and never told them? What if she got scratched? Or infected in another way? A walker could have easily harmed her when she was trying to save Noah. She didn't know the exact symptoms of a walker infection, but she did know it involved a high fever and losing control over your body. She had seen it happen to her biological mother.

"Maura," She heard Jane's husky voice. "I think the fever is dropping a little bit. Her heartbeat is slowing down."

Maura felt the girl's pulse and forehead, careful not to wake her. Emma was still too warm, but definitely less hot than before. "Thank god." Maura whispered.

She softly caressed Emma's cheek. The girl was still restless, but at least she was sleeping.

Maura felt her wife's hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. She looked at the detective who gave her a slight smile. "Get some sleep babe." Maura smiled, placed a soft kiss on Jane's hand and closed her eyes.

She woke up when she heard gagging sounds and the voice of her wife calling her. It was already getting light outside and she saw Emma sitting on the edge of the bed while Jane stroked her back and held her hair back. The girl was heavily vomiting into a bucket between her legs.

Maura got up and looked at her wife. "There's blood, Maur." Jane said softly as her eyes filled with tears.

This was getting too serious. Throwing up blood is a terribly bad sign.

When Emma was finally done she let her hurting body fall into Maura's inviting arms while Jane took the bucket away. Maura felt the girl's silent tears fall on her chest. "It's okay sweetheart, just calm down. I'm here." She tried to soothe the shaking girl. She felt skinny arms clinging to her as she fought to keep the tears away. Just the thought of losing Emma broke her heart.

"Honey, can you look at me?" Maura carefully broke the embrace and looked into Emma's eyes. She met with those clear blue eyes, bloodshot and filled with tears.

"When Noah was attacked, did you get hurt too?" Maura asked carefully.

"No, I don't think so." Emma said with a weak voice.

"Are you sure? Are you sure a walker didn't put its teeth on you or scratched you?"

"Yeah. I think. I-I fought them off after he got bit."

"Do you mind if I examine your body for possible scratches?"

"Do you think I'm infected?" Emma looked at the doctor with big, shocked eyes.

"No honey, I just want to exclude the possibility." Maura eased the girl down and carefully took off her clothes. She examined every part of Emma's body, but she didn't find anything.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked when she walked into the bedroom with a clean bucket.

"Checking for scratches or bites." Maura answered as she continued to re-check all the body parts.

"You think she's infected?" Jane whispered shocked.

"I don't know. It's possible. I just want to make sure." Maura felt Jane sitting down on the bed. "So far I haven't found anything."

She checked everything, wanting to be absolutely sure. The doctor found nothing. Nothing that indicated she got hurt in a walker attack. She saw Emma shivering, getting cold without her clothes on.

"I'm done sweetheart." Maura stroked Emma's still warm forehead.

Jane handed her a big sweater and a blanket. "Here, I found some warm clothes in the other bedroom."

Maura helped Emma put on her clothes and got her into the big sweater. She wrapped the blanket around her and guided her to lie down.

"Thanks for the pretty sweater Jane." Emma managed to show a small smile.

Jane smiled. "You're welcome. I figured too big, brown and itchy would be entirely your taste."

Emma laughed but flinched from the pain it caused. Maura pressed her lips against Emma's warm cheek. "Try to get some rest."

Emma closed her eyes but got right back up to vomit again. There was nothing left in her body. All she did was heave and throw up more blood.

"Make it stop, please, I want it to stop." The girl cried desperately. She collapsed in Maura's arms.

"I wish I could, honey." She softly rocked Emma back and forth. "I wish I could."

They stayed like that for a long time. Maura waited until the girl got back to sleep, holding her tight. When she was absolutely sure Emma was asleep, she slowly put her down on the bed. She motioned Jane to come with her to the hallway.

Maura leaned her back against the wall.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Jane asked.

Maura looked at her wife. "Yes."

Silence fell while the morning sun peaked through the windows. Maura thought about the endless possibilities again, trying to come up with a diagnosis.

Suddenly the doctor got up and straightened her back. "Entamoeba histolytica." She said.

Jane gave her a confused look. "What?"

"Amoebiasis. It's a kind of parasite." She grabbed the detective's arm. "Jane, has she been drinking water from the well lately?"

"Yeah, we all have."

"Yes but we boil it, to make sure we don't get bacterial infections from contaminated water. Yesterday I saw we were low on our water stock, I remembered thinking we needed to get some more and boil it today."

"I don't understand where you're going, Maur."

"What if she saw we didn't have much water left? What if she wanted to help and went out to get some? What if she drank the water directly from the well?" Maura started pacing through the hallway. "We never explained to her WHY we boil the water, Jane. We just always did."

"You think she got something bad from the water?"

"Yes. Her symptoms match, it all fits. She could have gotten a bacterial infection by drinking contaminated water."

"So, what does that mean?"

Maura stopped pacing. She slid down against the wall, sitting on the ground. "It means she needs antibiotics. Strong antibiotics. And she needs them fast. She could get abscesses in her liver, lounges, or even her brain. If she doesn't get treatment…" She paused and let her head rest against the wall. "If she doesn't get treatment she'll die."

Jane sat down next to her wife. "What do we do?" She whispered.

After a long pause, Maura said: "Atlanta."

Jane looked at the doctor.

"It's the only option, Jane. Do you remember the note we found? It said they had medical treatment."

"That's dangerous, Maura. We don't know if it's still there. We don't even know if it's true."

"If we keep her here and leave her untreated, she'll die for sure. It's the only choice we have." Maura looked at Jane with determination and tears in her eyes.

Jane wrapped her wife in her arms and kissed the top of her head. Maura let her body relax in her wife's embrace.

"Okay" Jane said softly. "Atlanta it is. We'll leave as soon as she wakes up."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Jane had been driving for nearly two hours. Maura was in the backseat, holding Emma. The girl was trembling in the doctor's arms. She hadn't vomited since they left the farm, but the red-hot fever was back.

Maura's theory turned out to be correct. Emma had wanted to help them and got a few buckets of water from the well. She got thirsty so she drank from the water without boiling it. She didn't know how crucial it was to boil the water before drinking it.

Jane was pained by guilt. They should have told her, they should have warned her.

They had found a road sign a few miles from the farm, so they could guess their location, but Jane wasn't absolutely sure they were heading in the right direction. She was going with her guts and hoped she was right.

The fuel gauge was running a red light for a while now. They had to find another car or get more gas soon.

"We're running on fumes." Jane said. "We have to look out for another car, or maybe even a gas station."

"How long do we have?" Maura asked, never stopping the soothing strokes on the girl's back.

"Hard to say. No longer than an hour I think."

Jane saw her two girls in the rearview mirror. She noticed the lines on Maura's face that made her look tired. The doctor offered Emma a kind of motherly love Jane had never seen in her before. She never left the girl's side and she knew exactly what to say to calm her down.

She worried about her wife. She had to make sure Emma made it. If she died, Maura would be devastated. The loss would be too big.

"Jane, I see houses over there." Maura pointed in the distance.

Jane drove the car in the direction of the small village. There was a good chance they would find a car here.

When their green pickup truck entered the village, Jane expected to see another ghost town, the people chased away by the horrors of this world. But when she drove past the first houses, she felt different. This town wasn't empty.

She drove slowly, looking out for cars. When she turned around the first corner, she saw a black Volvo in front of a large house. It was worth a try.

"I'm gonna check out that car, you stay with Emma." She softly ordered her wife.

"Be careful." Maura said, noticing the change in Jane's attitude.

She walked over to the Volvo and checked if the doors were locked. As soon as she pulled on the door-handle, she heard a man screaming at her from inside the house.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" A large man came running towards her, holding a rifle.

Jane immediately pulled her gun, pointing it at the man. "We're low on gas, we're looking for more or for another car."

"Get your fucking hands off of my car, lady!" Another man came out of the house. He was smoking a cigarette and holding a large knife. "And drop that gun!"

"I'm sorry, we're going to leave. I didn't do anything to your car, it's fine." Jane slowly put her gun into the pocket of her worn out jeans. "We're just gonna leave okay? Nobody has to get hurt."

"You move and I'll shoot your pretty little head off." The man still pointed the rifle at Jane.

She considered the possibility of running. She was fast, but probably not fast enough. It would put Maura and Emma in danger. Her only option was to stay still, her hands in the air.

"What do you want?" Jane asked.

"Do you have guns? Ammo? Food?"

"We have a few cans of food in the back of the car. I have a gun. We don't have much ammunition left." Jane knew Maura had a gun too, with extra bullets. She decided to keep that to herself.

"Hand it over." The man walked closer to her. She could smell his horrible breath, his eyes looked brutal.

"And if you're planning on any tricks, I wouldn't try. My friend will cut the throat of that pretty girl over there."

Jane looked at the truck and saw the man holding Emma in a tight grip, a knife against her throat. "Don't hurt her." She whimpered. "I'll get you anything you want."

"Then fucking get it, woman!" The man gave her a hard push as she stumbled to the car.

She handed over the cans they had packed. She quickly looked at Emma and saw that her legs were starting to give up. The man roughly punched her to keep her standing, making the girl cry out in pain.

"Don't hurt her, please! She's very ill." Jane heard Maura call from inside of the car.

"Tell the blonde to shut her mouth." She felt the rifle push in her back. "Tell her!"

Jane saw Maura looking at her, tears streaming down her face. She gave her a loving smile that said it would be okay.

"Tell her to shut the fuck up!" The man yelled.

"Shut up, Maur." Jane said softly.

The man took the cans of food. "Gun." He ordered. Jane reluctantly handed over her gun.

"Ammo?"

"It's all in there, that's all we have." Jane lied, looking straight into the man's eyes, showing no fear.

The man brought his face close to Jane's, pressing the rifle into her stomach. "I don't believe you. Search the car." He ordered the man who was holding Emma. As soon as he let the girl go, Emma fell to the ground, her legs too weak to carry her. Jane fought the urge to run over and carry her.

She saw the man with the knife throwing Maura out of the car as he combed every inch of it. "Bingo!" He called out. He held up a handful of bullets, the only extra ammunition they had left.

Jane felt the man shoving her roughly up against the back of the truck. "You ain't telling me the truth lady?" She could feel his breath tickling her ear. "I don't like liars. Liars need to be punished. How 'bout I let my friend over there have a little fun with you girls?"

Jane felt her knees buckle beneath her. "No." She whimpered.

"Hey Paul, you wanna have some fun with the girl over there?" He called to the man who was now counting the bullets he found.

"Nah man, she's fucking sick or something. She's burnin' hot, don't wanna catch whatever she's having. I'll rather have the pretty blonde over there."

Jane started feeling nauseous. She felt extreme fear and was fighting to keep breathing. Suddenly she remembered the small knife in her back pocket, something she brought from the kitchen at the farm. She looked over the man's shoulder and saw Paul still standing by the car, a few feet away from Maura and Emma. If she was fast, she could stab the man who was holding her, hoping Paul wasn't fast enough to get to Maura or Emma before she did.

While Paul and the other man were talking, Jane slowly tried to reach her back pocket. When the man felt movement, he turned to look at Jane. The moment he turned, Jane stabbed her knife into his stomach. He screamed as she twisted the knife and pulled it out. He fell down on the street and Jane kicked his rifle out of reach. She turned and saw Paul running towards her, pointing his knife at her. Before she knew it she was thrown to the ground, her own knife landing a few feet away from her. Paul was sitting on top of her, holding up his knife. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what was coming. She expected the pain of a knife slamming into her, but in stead she heard a scream and felt a lifeless body fall on top of her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Maura looking down on her, panting. She pushed the man off of her and got up quickly.

"Are you okay?" Maura panted.

"Yeah, yeah. Are you?"

"Yes."

Jane looked down and saw Maura's knife sticking out of Paul's temple. She was impressed, that was a well-aimed stab.

"You fucking bitches." The other man on the ground softly called out to them, blood streaming out of his body.

Jane walked over to the man and grabbed her gun. She looked him in the eye and hoped he died. She would leave his brain intact so he would turn. He didn't deserve a peaceful death.

"Have fun in hell." Jane stood up and walked over to her wife, who was holding a crying Emma.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No." Emma said with a weak voice.

Jane placed a kiss on Emma's temple and felt the heat of the fever on her lips. "We have to go."

She opened the door of the black Volvo and checked the fuel gauge. The keys were in the ignition and the tank was full.

"We're lucky." She said to Maura and Emma. "We'll take this car."

Maura helped the girl to the backseat. Jane wrapped her in the blanket she grabbed from their pickup truck and sat next to her while Maura got behind the wheel.

"Are you okay to drive?" Jane asked.

"I'm a little shaken up, but I'm fine. We have to get out of here." Maura started the car and drove back to the main road, far away from this village.

Jane felt Emma leaning into her, shivering underneath her blanket. She wrapped her arms around the girl and held her tight. "We're okay. They didn't hurt us. It's okay, sweetie."

Emma snuggled close into Jane's side. She had trouble keeping her eyes open. The fever and the never-ending pain were exhausting her.

"You're a badass cop." Emma mumbled.

Jane smiled. "Maura's the one who's the real badass. She saved us."

"You're both badasses. I love you."

Jane felt tears in her eyes. She met Maura's glance in the rearview mirror and saw a tear falling down her wife's cheek. "We love you too sweetheart." She kissed Emma's clammy forehead. "We love you too."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The sun was burning as Jane drove towards Atlanta. Maura had switched seats with Jane a few hours ago and was now sitting in the backseat. Emma was lying next to her, the girl's head resting in Maura's lap. She was getting sicker every minute, falling in and out of consciousness. She was confused, she could hardly put a proper sentence together and she often forgot where she was. It was looking bad.

Thanks to a few road signs they could determine their location pretty accurately. If everything went according to plan, they should arrive in Atlanta in a little over three hours. But Maura knew Emma might not have more than three hours.

She tried to keep Emma awake. She talked to her, she never stopped lovingly stroking the girl's hair and she kept feeding her water to avoid dehydration. But she couldn't give her the medical care she needed. She doubted if anyone could give her the medical care she needed. Antibiotics wouldn't help anymore, she was too sick. Surgery could get rid of the abscesses that had most likely formed in her lounges and brain, but she wasn't strong enough for that. Maura knew Emma wouldn't make it. She also knew she'd never forgive herself if they gave up now. So they kept on driving.

After an hour of silence, Jane slowed down. "Maura." She said softly.

Maura moved her gaze from the girl in her lap and looked out of the window. They were on top of a hill. Down the hill she saw houses and big buildings. But worse, she saw the biggest herd of walkers she had ever seen. Whatever that city was, it was overrun. There was no way they could pass through there.

Jane started to turn the car around. They had to get away from this city and find another road to Atlanta. It would take more time. Time they didn't have.

Suddenly Maura felt a hard shock and heard a loud bang as the back of the car hit a tree on the side of the road.

"Shit." Jane cursed.

She restarted the car and tried to get out of the grass on the side of the road, but they were stuck.

Maura looked out of the window and saw that the walkers were startled by the sound of the crash. They were slowly but surely making their way towards them.

"Jane! They're coming!"

"We're stuck!" Jane started to panic.

Maura got out of the car and started to push as Jane stepped on the gas. It didn't help. The wheels were spinning in the air.

"It's not working Jane!" Maura called to her wife.

She heard the loud thud of a lifeless body bumping against the hood of the car. The first walker had caught up to them.

"We have to walk!" Jane jumped out of the car and stabbed the monster in the brain.

"She can't walk, Jane." Maura opened the door next to Emma, who had lost consciousness again.

"I'll carry her. We have to get into the woods to shake them off." Jane stabbed another walker and ran to the back of the car. She threw a few bottles of water to her wife. Maura caught them and wrapped Emma in her blanket as she handed the girl to Jane.

They started walking through the woods, creating a distance between them and the walkers. Maura stabbed the ones that were getting close. She didn't want to use a gun; the noise of a gunshot would only draw out more monsters.

After a few minutes the distance was big enough that they could slow down a little bit. Jane was panting and her legs were shaking.

The awful sound of the snarling walkers slowly faded as they found an old shack in the middle of the forest.

"Jane! Over here." Maura helped Jane carry Emma inside.

It was small, it smelled moldy and the furniture was old. Jane carefully put Emma on the old couch and fell down to her knees, exhausted from carrying the dead weight of a 15-year old girl.

Maura kneeled down next to Emma and saw the girl was opening her eyes. She tried to speak but Maura stopped her.

"It's alright, sweetheart. We're safe here." She put her hand on the girl's cheek and looked into hollow eyes.

"Atl…Altan…" Emma tried to speak again.

"No, we're not in Atlanta." Maura felt tears forming in her eyes. "It was too far."

Emma moved her gaze up to the old ceiling. A single tear fell down her temple.

Maura kissed the tear away. "I'm so sorry Emma."

She felt a strong hand on her lower back and her wife sitting next to her. Jane kissed Maura's cheek and looked at the girl on the couch. She didn't speak. Maura grabbed Jane's hand while her free hand stayed on Emma's cheek, her thumb making slow, loving strokes.

Maura felt crippling desperation. There was nothing she could do. All she could do was stay by Emma's side and make her feel all the love in the world. All she could do was pray for a peaceful death.

Tears streamed down the doctor's face as Emma's weak hand grabbed Jane's. Jane held the small hand and kissed it as she gave the girl a soothing smile.

"It's alright sweetheart." Maura whispered through the lump in her throat. "It gets better now. You'll be out of pain soon." Maura pressed her lips to the girl's burning forehead. "It's alright, my love."

"Love." Emma mumbled weakly.

"I love you Emma. My girl. I love you." Maura kept repeating the same words over and over again until Emma's body started to convulse as she cried out from the pain and eventually lost consciousness again.

It didn't take long. Maura saw the life flowing out of the girl. She saw peace on her face again. She looked for a pulse but she found none. Emma was gone.

Maura felt Jane catch her as she collapsed into her wife's arms. She felt her heart break into a millions pieces and let hard, wrecking sobs escape her body.

She felt Jane's tears; she felt Jane's pain. She felt all their pain at once. She felt the empty space that was left by all the people they had lost. She felt the pain of guilt and the pain of helplessness.

But peeking through the immense pain, she felt the love coming from the arms wrapped around her. She felt the never-ending love for her wife and clung to Jane as they cried for the girl that was so harshly yanked out of their lives.

Emma didn't get to see this horrible world get better, but she wasn't in pain anymore. She was finally peaceful. Pain and grief didn't hurt her anymore. Emma's nightmare had ended.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Jane, please stop digging. You need to rest and drink something."

Jane heard her wife's voice but the message didn't come through. She kept working in the burning sun. Sweat trickled down her back and her scars burned. But she kept ramming the shovel into the ground with great force.

"Jane, please! You've been out here for hours. Take a break."

Jane felt a warm hand on her shoulder but she kept digging. She balled up all her emotions into her actions, trying not to let them break her.

"Jane! Please!" Maura was screaming now. "Please Jane." Maura lowered her voice. "I need you."

Those last three words made Jane look up. She saw her wife looking at her, her face wet from tears. The shovel fell out of her hands as Maura walked over, letting herself fall into Jane's arms.

"You need to drink some water. It's too hot to be working like this." Maura mumbled into the crook of Jane's neck.

Jane sat on the ground, resting against the wall of the shack as Maura offered her a bottle of water and sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry." Jane said softly.

"It's okay."

Jane looked at her wife and smiled, the kind of warm smile that said she was there. Maura put her arm around Jane's stomach and rested her head on the detective's shoulder.

"I love you Jane."

Jane kissed the top of Maura's head. "I love you too. So, so much."

"I miss her."

"I know, sweetie. Me too." She wrapped her wife up in her arms. "But it's better. She's better now."

Jane heard Maura sniffle against her. "God, I can't stop crying." She mumbled.

"You don't have to, it's okay."

"It gives me a headache." 

"Someone once told me that's because crying causes dehydration." Jane winked at her wife. "You have to drink something too."

Maura smiled and kissed Jane's lips. "I never thought I was able to feel this way, but she really did feel like a daughter. I liked feeling like a mother." She said softly.

Jane rubbed Maura's arm and kissed her temple. "You're a great mother. And you'll be a great mother again someday." She gave her wife a sad smile. "She was crazy about you. She loved you, Maur."

Tears started streaming down the doctor's face again. "I loved her too." She whispered.

They kept the close embrace for a few minutes. "I'm scared." Jane said quietly.

Maura lifted her head off Jane's shoulder and looked into her eyes. Jane usually didn't admit when she was afraid.

"What are you afraid of?" Maura asked carefully.

"Losing you."

Maura lifted her hand to stroke Jane's cheek. "Oh honey."

"Losing Emma is… heartbreaking. And it hurts like hell. If I ever lose you…" Jane felt a lump in her throat that prevented her from speaking.

"You're not going to lose me, Jane." Maura looked lovingly at her wife.

"You don't know that. Anything can happen in this crazy world." Jane paused to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I couldn't protect Emma. What if it turns out I can't protect you either? I can't live in this crazy world without you, Maur."

"Oh Jane." Maura pressed her lips against her wife's temple. "Emma's passing was in no way your fault. You did protect her, so many times, just like you always protected me. You didn't fail, Jane."

Jane looked into Maura's eyes. She saw pain and sadness, but she also saw determination. "I can't lose you Maura. You're my life."

Maura pulled her wife in for a deep kiss and said: "I love you more than life itself." She carefully broke their embrace. "I'm not going anywhere."

Jane couldn't speak. She couldn't express the overwhelming love she felt. She just pushed her lips against Maura's.

"We have to bury Emma." She whispered as she broke the kiss.

Maura sighed. They had been putting it off for a while, but it had to happen.

They had wrapped the girl in a blanket, covering her face. Jane carefully carried the body outside and met Maura at the edge of the grave Jane had been digging. She slowly lowered the body into the ground.

Maura kneeled down next to the grave. "I'm so sorry I couldn't safe you, Emma. I'm so sorry you had to live in this world. But I'm so grateful that I got to meet you. You changed me, Emma. And I'm forever grateful that you were a part of my life, even if it was just for a few weeks." Maura lowered her head. "We'll never forget you, Emma."

The doctor got up and walked into Jane's open arms. Jane kept Maura in her arms for a long time, whispering soothing and loving words.

A few hours later, Jane and Maura were looking at a pile of fresh sand once again.

"What are we going to do?" Maura asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, where do we go? I don't think we can stay here. It's not safe, and well… It has too many memories now. I don't want to stay here Jane."

"We don't have to stay here." Jane pulled Maura in for a hug. "We'll go somewhere else."

Maura lifted her head off Jane's chest and looked at her wife. "Where?"

Jane sighed. "I wish I knew."

_A/N Another short chapter; dealing with Emma's death. (That was terrible and sad to write to be honest.) Thank you guys for the reviews and likes! So, where would you like to see Maura and Jane go next? I haven't decided how to continue yet, so I'd love your input! _


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Jane and Maura kept their embrace for a long time. They didn't know where to go, their purpose was gone. Atlanta was still an option, but the chance of finding the Rizzoli's there was awfully small. They could go back to the farm, but they needed to find a different car for that since the Volvo got overrun on their way to Atlanta.

Maura searched her brain, but couldn't find a logical solution. Not having a purpose was especially hard on Jane. Maura didn't really care that much where they went, as long as she was together with the woman she loved. But Jane needed a purpose. She needed something to work towards; she needed a concrete goal.

Suddenly she felt her wife tense in her arms. Maura lifted her head from Jane's shoulder and heard footsteps. Jane quickly grabbed her gun and pointed it towards the sound. A large man in a green jacket came out of the woods. He was holding a string of dead squirrels and a shotgun.

He saw Jane and Maura and looked into the barrel of Jane's gun. "Whoa, hey, easy!" He dropped his shotgun and put his hands in the air to show he didn't mean to hurt them. Jane didn't believe it. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I'm Jim, I'm a forester and this is my shack. I don't want anything except for you to lower your gun. I'm not gonna hurt you ladies." He spoke calmly with a southern accent, his face looked friendly.

"Jane," Maura touched Jane's shoulder. "Lower your gun."

"No. I can't afford to trust strangers anymore." Jane said, still pointing the gun, piercing eyes staring at the forester.

Maura usually didn't listen to her gut, but this time she did. Her gut was telling her this man had no interest in hurting them. "Jane, there are still good people in the world."

With that, Jane lowered her gun. She kept her finger on the trigger, ready to take action.

"How did you two get here?" Jim asked.

"We don't know, we ended up here after we ran from a herd of walkers." Jane answered.

"Did you get bit?"

"No. We shook them off."

"Well, I'm glad you're alright but you can't stay here." Jim slowly put the squirrels on the ground.

"We're not planning on staying here."

"Are you guys from that village a few miles out? What was it called…" The man rubbed his forehead with big, filthy hands. "Westfall or somethin'."

Maura looked at Jane. "There's a village?"

"Yeah, but it got overrun. Security was lacking. You guys from there?"

"No, we've been on the road for a while."

"I'm impressed you ladies made it this far." Frank leaned against his shag and lit up a cigarette.

"It's not any more impressing than you making it this far." Jane said annoyed.

Maura didn't want to get into that discussion. "Can you tell us about the village? Westfall?"

The man looked at her. "There were a few dozen people I think. They had houses, a fence, security; they thought it was solid. But they couldn't take the herd that passed through. Place got torn apart."

"How do you know about that?" Jane asked, still suspicious.

"I know everything that's happening around here. Always have."

"Why weren't you in Westfall?"

"I don't like people. I'm better on my own." Jim blew out smoke from his cigarette. "That's why y'all have to leave."

"We will." Maura said, her hand still on Jane's arm. "We just have to figure out where we're going to go next."

"If I can give you some advice, I'd say head south. There's a small river and some houses. Don't go north, that's where the herd hit Westfall."

Maura looked at Jane. She saw that her wife still didn't want to trust this stranger. But they both knew they didn't have another option.

Jane put her gun in the pocket of her jeans. "Why are you telling this to us?"

Jim shrugged. "What the blonde said: there are still good people in the world."

"Thank you Jim." Maura smiled at the forester and went to grab their bottles of water and blanket. She grabbed Jane's arm, guiding her to follow the doctor.

"Thanks Jim." Jane said softly.

"Don't worry about it." Jim said as he put out his cigarette. "I hope you girls make it."

"We will." Jane smiled and followed her wife.

They headed south, just like the man told them to. They walked in silence, holding hands. Maura saw the pained look on Jane's face. The detective was restless and kept looking behind them.

"That man had no interest in harming us, Jane. He's not following us."

"That's not it." Jane said softly while she looked at the ground.

Maura stopped to look into Jane's eyes. She softly raised her hand to stroke Jane's cheek. "What is it, sweetheart?"

Jane sighed. "I keep looking out for Emma. I keep checking if she's keeping up with us." Her voice had turned into a whisper. "But she's not here." Maura heard the pain in Jane's voice as she said: "I can't protect her anymore."

"Oh Jane." Maura pulled Jane in for a hug and stroked her messy curls. "You don't have to protect her anymore." She kissed Jane's cheek. "She's better now."

"I know." Jane smiled at her wife. "I just miss hearing you guys talking and gossiping behind me."

"I miss that too." Maura whispered. She pulled her detective in for a kiss.

After an hour or two, they had found a small creek, which they were following now. The water was clean, but Maura was reluctant to drink it. If there was one thing she had learned, it was not to drink water without boiling it. But that didn't mean they couldn't clean their selves up in the creek.

Jane had taken off her shirt and was washing herself in the water of the creek. Maura sat next to her and admired the beauty of her wife sitting at the edge of the water in a black sports bra. The sun was shining down on them, making Jane's black curls shine and her face light up. "You're beautiful." She spilled out.

"What?" Jane asked as she looked at her wife who had just washed her face.

"I said you're beautiful." Maura said as she kissed Jane. "I don't know how you manage to look this gorgeous in this crazy world."

"Look who's talking." Jane smiled and kissed Maura back.

Maura let her tongue explore the familiar territory of Jane's mouth and her hands were roaming all over her wife's body. She felt Jane's hands squeezing her back. Things quickly started to heat up. Both women were panting as they looked into each other's eyes.

"You're goddamn beautiful, Maur." Jane placed a last sweet kiss on Maura's mouth and got up.

Maura groaned at the loss of contact, but she knew they had to continue. They didn't have much daylight left and they had to find a place to spend the night.

They continued their journey. It didn't take long before Maura gasped and stood still. She grabbed Jane's arm and pointed at a beautiful cottage by the creek they had been following. It was small and perfect. It was on top of a low hill, stairs leading up to the front door. (Which was even more perfect, because walkers weren't very good at climbing stairs.) It was surrounded by trees and flowers and there even was a small balcony on the second floor.

Maura saw Jane smiling at her and pulled her in for a quick kiss. They walked up the stairs and quietly opened the front door, aware of the possibility that it wasn't empty. Jane banged a bottle of water against the wall, hoping to draw out possible walkers.

A snarling walker walked towards them and Maura slammed her knife into its brain.

"I think that was all." Jane said after a moment of silence. She dragged the lifeless monster down the stairs and left it in the woods.

Meanwhile Maura admired the interior of the dreamy cottage. It was indeed perfect.

"Hey Maur, look at this." Jane was back and pointed at a framed picture on a dresser. "It's the walker you stabbed. Before he turned."

In the picture was a middle-aged man, smiling into the lens of the camera while holding a big fish, together with a small boy.

"Must've been his house." Jane said.

Maura nodded. "But is it safe if he got bitten?"

"He could have gotten infected anywhere. This place looks solid. Walkers don't do well with stairs and we haven't seen one in miles." Jane smiled at the doctor and put down the bottles. "We should stay here. Get some rest, deal with everything we've been through…"

"What about your family?"

"I don't want to risk our lives to try and find my family, at least not right now. I'd rather keep you safe." Jane looked lovingly at her wife. "We need time, Maur. Time to grieve, time to slow down."

Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's neck. Her heart was still broken, the pain of losing Emma was still fresh. But her heart was slowly starting to heal. The love for her Jane glued the broken pieces of her heart together. She knew they had to go look for Jane's family eventually. But not right now. Right now, they needed peace and rest to deal with their losses. They needed time with each other, time to heal and time to love. The universe had finally given them time and Maura was endlessly grateful for that.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Jane was startled by a crippling scream. She followed the noise of the scream and her heart broke into a million pieces.

She saw Maura lying on the ground in a pile of her own blood, shaking and crying out in pain. Jane ran to her wife and saw teeth marks on her side. She kneeled down next to Maura and put her hands on the wound to try and stop the bleeding. Maura couldn't breathe and her entire body was shaking.

"Shh, baby it's alright, stay with me okay?" Jane held her hands on the wound, blood seeping through her hands.

There was nothing Jane could do now. She felt crippling desperation as Maura trembled and tears streamed down her face. She kept her hands on Maura's stomach, but the stream of blood never seemed to end. Jane cried out desperately, her hands shaking, slippery from her wife's blood.

"Jane, Jane." Somewhere in the back of her mind Jane heard the voice of her wife. "Jane, wake up."

With a shock, Jane opened her eyes and sat up, the image of Maura covered in blood still in her mind. She felt warm hands on her face and looked at her wife sitting next to her. She checked for blood, but there was none.

"You're okay, Jane. It was just a dream." Maura's thumbs stroked Jane's face as Jane panted. She let herself fall into Maura's embrace and allowed silent sobs to escape her body.

"It wasn't me." Jane mumbled. Her throat closed up as tears soaked Maura's shirt.

"I'm okay. We're both okay." Maura soothingly stroked Jane's back. "We're okay, I'm here, my love." She kissed the top of Jane's head. "I'm here."

Jane cried into the crook of Maura's neck for a long time. She couldn't get rid of the horrible images in her mind. She tried to shake them off but the nightmare felt so real. She could feel the fear; she could feel her heart breaking.

They had been staying in the cottage for a month now. Life was finally peaceful again, but Jane was starting to get restless. She worried about her family, she missed Emma, Frost, and she missed her job. Ever since she slept with Maura next to her, she didn't have as much nightmares anymore. That was until a few days ago. The restlessness came with awful dreams haunting her in her sleep.

"Jane, can you look at me for a second?" Maura carefully took Jane's head in her hands and guided her to look into her eyes. She smiled lovingly. "I'm okay, I'm safe."

"They got you. The monsters. They bit you." Jane whispered. "I tried to help but you just kept bleeding. There was so much blood." She felt tears forming in her eyes again. "I was losing you and there was nothing I could do." Jane's voice broke. "There was nothing I could do."

Maura wrapped her arms around her wife and hugged her close. Jane clung to Maura and squeezed her back. "Don't leave me Maur." She mumbled.

"Never." Maura said softly.

Jane held on to Maura as she calmed down, regulating her breathing and wiping her tears.

"Jane, do you worry about that? Me leaving you?" Maura asked carefully.

Jane lifted her head from Maura's shoulder and looked down at her fumbling hands.

"Maybe. Sometimes. I don't know." Jane started to blush. "I mean, I know you're kinda stuck with me in this world. And we decided to be married even if it's not offical and what if it's… I don't know. I just love you so much and sometimes I worry…" She paused, she knew she wasn't making any sense and she was afraid to continue.

"About what?" Maura whispered.

"I'm not easy to be with. I worry about what happens when this nightmare ends. If you still want to be with me then. If you'd still want to be my wife when it's official." Jane laughed, trying to defuse the tension and to make her words seem less desperate. "It's stupid."

"No it's not." Maura said calmly. "I have the same concerns, Jane."

Jane looked up at her wife. "Really? You worry about me leaving you?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"I'm not. Ever." Jane interrupted the blonde.

"I know that," Maura softly smoothed Jane's unruly curls. "But I still have doubts, and that's completely normal."

"You don't need to have doubts." Jane said quietly.

"The same goes for you, Jane. I love you with all my heart. I have never felt this much love before and I'm never, ever leaving you."

Jane felt herself blush. "I know that. I'm being stupid. I love you too Maur."

Maura kissed Jane's forehead. "You're not being stupid. It's completely normal to need affirmation every now and then."

"Since when did you become a relationship expert?" Jane asked jokingly. She didn't know what else to say, unable to express her love in words.

"Since I met the most perfect woman in the world, and fell madly in love with her." Maura smiled. "And since she fell in love with me too and turned from a tough-ass detective into a mushy, romantic cuddler. And it made my life a thousand times better."

"I'm still a tough-ass detective."

"Yes you are. Just a very cuddly one." Maura said as she pulled Jane in for a kiss.

"Only when I'm with you." Jane gratefully accepted the kiss. "I love you so much."

Maura smiled and stroked Jane's cheek. "I love you too. I always will."

Jane kissed Maura's lips and pulled her wife in for a hug. She couldn't believe this perfect woman fell in love with her, Jane Rizzoli. She couldn't believe this gorgeous, intelligent and amazing woman was her wife.

She knew Maura had noticed her restlessness lately. She knew they couldn't stay in this cottage forever, no matter how ideal it was. But just for this moment, everything was perfect.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Maura was sitting on the stairs leading up to the cottage, looking into the distance without seeing anything. She thought about their lives and she worried. She saw the restlessness in her wife. Jane missed her job. She missed her life and her family. And Maura couldn't take that away.

It had been a little over a month since they had lost Emma. Maura still felt the pain everyday. She didn't cry anymore, she hadn't cried for a long time. She just felt a numb pain inside her chest that wouldn't go away. The doctor tried to push it away, but she knew she couldn't go on repressing forever.

She didn't want to bother her wife. Jane had her own problems; she needed to find rest again. Maura would do anything to help her, if only she knew how.

Jane was fishing in the creek behind the house. There was a decent amount of food when they arrived, but the stock started to thin out.

Maura was lost in thought as Jane walked up to her, holding a bucket. "Got two big ones." She said in a husky voice. "Should be enough for two or three days."

"Hm?" Maura looked up, she didn't hear anything Jane just said.

"I said I caught two big ones. What's going on, Maur?"

"Oh nothing, I'm just thinking."

Jane sat down next to her wife. "About what?"

Maura shook her head. "Not important. Are you okay?" 

Jane looked at Maura. "Yes, I am. But I don't think you are."

"I am!" Maura smiled, trying to convince the detective. As soon as Jane looked at her, she knew she failed.

"Why aren't you telling me what's wrong?"

Maura felt anger burning in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know why exactly, but she felt very annoyed by her wife. "Why don't YOU tell me what's wrong Jane? You've been restless all week and you're not telling me anything either!" Maura got up and started pacing. "I know you're not happy here, Jane! I know you think our life here is boring and you get tired of fishing all day! Why don't you tell me anything? Why do I always have to figure it out by myself?"

Jane looked at her with wide eyes, surprised by Maura's anger. Maura knew her anger wasn't entirely justified but she couldn't help it.

"You're not happy here. Don't tell me it's not true. You're restless and you're keeping yourself occupied so you don't have to face the fact that you so desperately want to get out of here!"

Jane looked angry. She got up and walked towards her wife. "I'm keeping us safe!"

"Yes, and it's making you very unhappy isn't it? You need the thrill of being out there and you need the adrenaline. You always have! That's why you're a homicide detective. But you're not a detective anymore Jane! The world is not the same anymore. You have to change with it."

Jane tried to speak but Maura interrupted her. "We finally found a place that is truly safe! This is a good place, Jane. We can stay here; avoid problems. Maybe even grow old here. Why does the thought of that doesn't make you as happy as it makes me Jane?"

Jane's hands were balled up into fists. "I'm restless because my family is out there, Maura. My family!"

"I know that! But the chances of finding them are awfully small and you know it!"

"It may be awfully small, but it's there! As long as I even have the slightest chance of finding them, I will be restless!" Jane was screaming now. "I can't be settling down here if they are still out there!"

Maura fell silent. She knew this already, but hearing it still hurt her feelings. "Why am I not enough, Jane?"

"That's not what this is about! You don't understand, Maura. You don't have a family anymore! Hope died months ago and your adoptive parents are somewhere in fucking Europe! You have no idea how I'm feeling! You have no idea what it's like."

Maura felt tears burning in her eyes. She knew she was being irrational, but Jane's words hurt her to the depths of her heart. She turned around and ran up the stairs, into the house. She went upstairs, slammed the door of their bedroom and collapsed on the bed. She let loud sobs escape as she cried into a pillow.

Maybe Jane was right. She didn't have a family. She hadn't seen her adoptive parents in nearly two years. She had only known her biological for a few years and she died months ago. The only family she had was Jane. If Jane still wanted to be with after the fight they just had.

Maura let her tears fall and allowed her sadness to consume her. She clutched her knees to her chest, curling up in the fetal position. She cried for a long time until she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Maura? Can I come in?" She heard the husky voice of her wife, hoarse from tears.

"I'd rather be alone." Maura answered.

"I'm sorry, Maura. We need to talk."

"Go away, Jane!" Maura sobbed.

Jane quietly opened the door anyway. Maura felt her wife carefully sitting down on the bed. "I said I wanted to be alone."

"I know. But I don't want to leave you alone."

Maura looked at the detective sitting next to her. She saw that Jane's eyes were red and swollen. She felt immense regret and closed her eyes, tears soaking her face.

"Can I hold you?" Jane asked softly. "Please?"

Maura nodded. She sat up and let herself fall into Jane's welcoming arms. She rested her head against Jane's chest, letting her wife's steady heartbeat soothe her.

"I'm sorry Jane." Maura mumbled. She carefully broke the embrace and looked into Jane's eyes. "I know you worry about your family. I understand that you're restless. I shouldn't have said the things I've said. I'm so sorry Jane. I was awful."

"I was too." Jane said. "I say the stupidest things when I'm angry. I wasn't thinking. I'm so sorry Maur. You do have a family. I can't believe I said that, I'm so sorry." Jane was talking desperately.

"You were right though." Maura shrugged. "I don't have a family. I don't know how you're feeling."

"Yes you do. Maura, I told you that my family is your family. You're like a daughter to my mom! And Frankie and Tommy… Well, putting those kissing incidents aside, you're like a sister to them. And TJ is crazy about you. And so am I." Jane tried to smile. 

"I'm sorry I said you're not a detective anymore. You'll always be detective Jane Rizzoli. It's in your blood. And I fell in love with that detective. I don't want you to change, Jane. Not even for a little bit." She pulled Jane in for a desperate kiss.

Their tears mixed together as they kissed, pain and love mingling into a weird mixture of feelings.

Maura broke the kiss and stroked Jane's cheek. "Do you still want to be my wife?" She asked.

"Are you kidding?" Jane looked at the doctor. "You'd think I'd break up with you because of a fight?"

"I don't know." Maura fumbled with the sheets.

"No way, Maura. There's no way I'm ever letting you go. No matter how ridiculous you're being, no matter how many stupid things you say. I'll never stop loving you. You're stuck with me for the rest of your life, doctor Isles."

Maura smiled and kissed Jane deeply. "I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

After a few minutes of heated kissing, Maura broke their embrace and looked deep into Jane's eyes. "Remember when I said I'll go with you wherever you want to go?" Jane nodded. "That's still true. I'll go with you."

Maura felt her wife's arms wrapping around her, squeezing her so hard she could hardly breathe. "I love you so fucking much." She heard Jane mumble into the crook of her neck.

The doctor didn't even point out the cursing. "I love you too, Jane." She couldn't wrap her big brain around the love she was feeling. She didn't have to. Right now, all she had to do was accept and feel the love. And she did, with all her heart.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Jane woke up from soft lips softly kissing the sensitive spot behind her ear. She opened her eyes and got immediately overwhelmed by the beauty lying next to her. The morning sun made Maura's face shine, shiny blonde curls messy from sleeping and their activities from last night. Jane smiled when she thought about it.

"Hey gorgeous." Jane said in a sleepy voice.

"Good morning." Maura leaned in for a deep kiss. Jane gladly received the kiss and pulled Maura on top of her, naked bodies close together. She let her tongue find its way into familiar territory as her hand cupped Maura's breast. She felt her wife softly moaning into her mouth, a sound that never failed to arouse her beyond belief.

Jane was panting when Maura broke the kiss for air. "You're hot." Jane's voice sounded even huskier than usual, raspy from sleep and arousal.

"You're not so bad yourself, detective." Maura said with a smirk as her left hand reached up to cup and massage Jane's breast. She rolled a hard nipple between her finger and thumb. Jane felt her hips rising involuntary, begging for more contact.

Jane moaned as she felt arousal pool between her legs. She felt Maura's hand wandering lower, down her toned stomach and stroking her inner thigh. She gasped as Maura finally touched her where she needed it the most. Maura kissed Jane's pulse as her fingers made slow but determined strokes through Jane's arousal. This went on for a while, both of them just enjoying the contact, not wanting to rush anything. When Maura entered her it didn't take long before Jane felt her walls clamp down on her wife's fingers. She clung to the doctor, letting her orgasm consume her.

Jane let her head fall down on the bed and tried to regulate her breathing. Maura seductively licked her fingers clean and moaned.

"You're amazing." Jane panted.

Maura bit her lip. "I know." She smirked.

Jane pulled her wife in for a deep kiss, tasting herself on Maura's lips. "I think it's your turn now." She smirked as she rolled Maura over.

An hour and a few orgasms later, the two women were tangled up close together under the sheets. Maura was lying on top of Jane while Jane was tracing slow patterns on Maura's back.

"What are we going to do today?" Maura asked lazily.

"Hmm, we have enough food for a few days. We do need to get some more water from the creek though."

"Sounds like a good day."

Jane hummed contently and kissed Maura's temple. "Everyday with you is a good day."

Jane was still bothered by regret caused by the fight they had yesterday. Maura's words were still ringing in her ears, especially the question if she wasn't enough for Jane. That question had broken her heart. Maura was more than enough for Jane and she needed to know it.

"You're getting sentimental, Jane." Maura said with a smile.

"Your fault." Jane mumbled into Maura's hair. "But it's true. You're all I need to have a good day."

Maura smiled. "I think it started it off pretty well. I love you, Jane." She kissed Jane's cheek and got up from the bed.

As Maura was putting on her clothes, Jane heard voices coming from outside. In a flash, Jane was by the window. She saw a group of people in the distance, heading towards their cottage. She grabbed a shirt and put on her panties and pants as she ran downstairs.

She quietly opened the front door, peeking outside. She felt Maura standing behind her, placing a comforting hand on her lower back.

"Hey, check this out!" They heard a voice from outside.

The group saw the cottage and started walking towards it. There were around ten people. They all seemed fit and healthy, not like they've been on the road for a long time.

"I don't think they have guns." Jane whispered. "I only see knifes."

She opened the door and walked up to the group, Maura following closely. She held her hand on the gun in her jeans pocket, ready to defend their selves if necessary.

"What are you doing here?" Jane asked.

"Looking for supplies for our people. What are you doing here?" A woman answered. She was tall, muscular and pretty. But the look on her face said she didn't want to be messed around with. Jane recognized that look. She had the exact same look on her face.

"We've been staying here for a while. It's safe and secure."

"Yeah, but not for long. Haven't you heard of the herd?" The woman said.

"What herd?" Maura asked with wide eyes.

"There's a huge herd on its way in this direction. It tore apart a village a few weeks ago."

Jane looked at her wife. That must have been the village Jim had told them about.

"How fast is it moving?" Jane asked.

"Not fast. But it's moving."

"We'll be fine. Walkers don't climb stairs. We'll sit it out." Jane said. If they were quiet, they could last out a few days while the herd passed.

"Seriously? That herd took down an entire village. This cottage is nothing to them. They may be easy to kill if it's only a few of them, but they are way too strong when they're in a group."

"They're probably right, Jane." Maura said softly.

"We are." A guy walked up to them, inspecting the outside of their cottage. He looked young, probably in his mid twenties. "I'm David. The fierce lady over there is Viola."

"I'm Jane. This is Maura. Do you have a camp? Somewhere safe?"

"Yeah." David answered. "We're in a prison, a few miles out."

"A prison?" Maura asked.

"Not the happiest place on earth, I know. But it's secure. Probably the safest place in the area."

"Do you take people in?" Jane asked, still holding her finger on the trigger of her gun.

"Yes, we do." The woman said. "But Jonathan is in charge of new people."

"Who's Jonathan?"

"He's our leader. Every group needs a leader."

"So, are you coming with us? Do you have supplies?" Jane noticed David was getting impatient.

"Can I talk to my wife first?" Jane asked.

When Jane used the word 'wife', David looked up. "Wait, you're dykes? That's hot…" He said with a filthy smirk.

Jane walked up to David, bringing her face close to his, looking deep into his eyes. "You call us that one more time and you're a dead man." She said in a low, husky voice. She turned around and took Maura's arm, taking her a few feet away from the group to talk in private.

"What do you think, Jane?"

"I don't know. If they are telling the truth about that herd, we're not safe here." Jane paused. "But I don't know if I trust them."

Maura took Jane's hand.

"What do you think?" Jane asked.

"I'm not sure." Maura looked into Jane's eyes. "But that prison sounds safe."

"I don't know if I'm ready to be around other people. It's been just the two of us for so long…" Jane said.

"I know." Maura softly kissed Jane's lips. "But if it's not safe here, do we really have a choice?"

Jane sighed. "I don't know."

"Hey, are you two done yet? We'd like to keep going." Viola walked up to them.

"We don't know. Where is your prison?" Jane asked.

She saw that the woman was hesitating, not knowing if she could trust the two of them.

"It's jut the two of us, we have no interest in harming you in any way." Jane assured her.

"We're about nine miles west from here. If you follow the creek in that direction," the woman pointed into the woods, "you can't miss it." She paused to look at the couple. "If I were you I'd come to the prison."

"We need some time to think about it." Jane said. She appreciated the honesty and friendliness of the woman.

"Alright. If you decide to come, enter at the fence on the left, there'll be security there. They'll let you in." Viola stopped talking to touch Jane's arm. "Don't take too much time."

"We won't." Jane smiled. Viola walked away and motioned the group to follow her.

"I hope you guys join us!" David shouted.

"Of course he would." Jane said with an annoyed look on her face.

She sat down on the stairs leading up to the cottage and felt Maura sitting next to her. She put her arms around her wife. Maura rested her head on Jane's shoulder and draped her arm around her stomach as they watched the group leave.

They enjoyed the closeness without speaking. Jane knew Maura would like to go, but she also knew Maura would stay with her at the cottage if Jane decided she didn't want to go.

"I need think about it. Sleep on it for a night." Jane said softly.

"I know." Maura lifted her head from Jane's shoulder to kiss her cheek. "We don't have to decide right now."

Jane smiled lovingly at her wife, kissed her forehead and pulled her in for a hug.

She was right; they didn't have to decide right now. But they did have to decide soon. If the group was telling the truth, they didn't have much time. A few days, tops. She knew they probably had to leave for the prison. It was a gamble, but staying here could get them killed. The prison was their best shot.

But for now she just wanted to enjoy her wife for a moment. She allowed love to consume her, clutching Maura close to her chest.

The universe had given them time, but that time was over now. It was time to move on.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Maura sat next to her wife on the couch. They had talked to Viola and her group yesterday. Jane hadn't slept much and she had been restless all day. They hadn't really spoken about the decision they had to make. Maura knew they were thinking the same things.

It could be a trap. They didn't know those people. The prison could be dangerous, but staying here could also be dangerous.

Maura was bothered by a painful knot in her stomach. She was finally starting to feel happy again. Living in this cottage with Jane was actually close to Maura's dream for the future. But it wasn't meant to be. Peace and rest weren't awarded to them anymore.

Through the pain and sadness, she felt gratefulness. The love of her life was sitting next to her, alive and well. She realized how lucky she was.

"I hate that we have to leave this place." Maura said softly.

"We don't know that. We could take the shot and stay here. We don't know if they were telling the truth." Jane answered.

"I don't think we can afford to take shots anymore, Jane." Maura said with a sad look.

"Going to the prison is taking a shot too. For all we know they're a bunch of crazy psychopaths in some kind of concentration camp."

Maura laughed but stopped when she thought about what Jane just said. There are no rules in a world like this. Learning experiences from the past didn't count anymore. Anything could happen.

Maura sighed and rested her head on Jane's shoulder. "I don't know what to do Jane." She whispered.

Jane kissed Maura's head. "It's a gamble no matter what we do."

The doctor shifted to snuggle up against her wife as she took Jane's hands in her own, massaging her palms. She gently rubbed Jane's scars; something only Maura was allowed to do.

"We could go out on the road again. Find a car, maybe a new place." Jane said softly.

"I don't know if I can take that again, Jane." Maura said honestly. Being out on the road had been hard on her.

Jane gently pulled her hands away from Maura's to wrap them around the blonde, pulling her close. She absentmindedly stroked her wife's arm. Both of them were lost in thought for a few minutes.

Maura felt her wife stir and place a kiss on her temple. Jane started to get up but Maura held her back. "No, not yet." She purred, not wanting to break the embrace she pulled Jane in for a kiss. Jane smiled and kissed her back.

Jane carefully broke the kiss. "I have no idea where to go or what to do but I know I love you more every minute." She said softly.

Maura wiped a tear from her eyes. "I love you too, Jane. With all my heart." Jane smiled and kissed her wife's forehead, but whatever she saw through the window behind Maura made her jump up. "Shit." She cursed.

"What is it?" Maura ran towards the window. What she saw there, made her heart drop. The biggest herd she had ever seen was slowly making its way towards their cottage. It was still pretty far from them, but they had to get out of here right now.

Jane was already running around to gather necessary supplies. She filled a bag with bottles of water, a few cans of food and a box of matches and threw the bag at Maura. She grabbed a blanket, her gun and a few knifes and grabbed Maura's arm. "We have to go!" She whispered. "Now!"

Maura was frozen, standing in front of the window, holding the bag with supplies. This was going too fast. They were supposed to have a few days to make a decision, to make a solid plan.

"Maura!" She felt Jane pull her arm. She snapped out of her thoughts and followed Jane out of the back door, quickly grabbing two extra shirts and putting it in the bag on the way.

They ran through the woods for a long time, keeping the creek on their right side. Maura panted and felt sweat trickling down her back. Her legs were slowly giving up. "Jane." She wheezed. "I can't. Need rest." The doctor stopped and rested her hands on her knees, trying to regulate her breathing. As soon as she lowered her head, she felt a hand grabbing her upper leg. She turned around and saw a snarling walker was almost biting her. She hadn't heard it coming; too exhausted from running she only heard her own heartbeat.

"Maura!" Jane screamed and ran towards her, but Maura was already slammed to the ground by the monster. She kicked and tried everything to keep the walker off, but it was a strong one. She couldn't find her knife and her strength was compromised by the exhaustion of running.

Suddenly she felt the grip on her leg loosen. She looked up and saw Jane standing above her, panting and holding a bloody knife.

"You're alright." Jane said as she helped Maura up and wrapped her arms around her wife. "You're alright."

Maura buried her head in the crook of Jane's neck. "Thank you." She panted.

They went on, this time a little slower. They could still hear the muffled sounds of snarling walkers in the distance, but they had created a good head start.

They walked for over two hours until they saw something in the distance. They saw something that looked like security towers, aligned with a high fence.

"That must be it." Maura said.

"Yeah. We should get a little deeper into the woods, I don't want them to see us yet." Jane said.

Maura followed her wife. She knew Jane wanted to observe the prison first, looking out for unusual activity. After Jane made sure there were no monsters around, they sat down at the edge of the forest. They had a good sight at the prison and at the same time they could still profit from the shelter of the trees.

They looked at the prison. The fences looked strong, people were marching back and forth, holding big rifles. The buildings were grey and looked a little depressing, but the place looked solid. She saw people walking around, carrying water, working, doing their chores. So far, nothing unusual.

The doctor took a sip of water and offered Jane the bottle. She gratefully drank from it and put her arm around Maura's shoulder.

Maura sighed and leaned into Jane, letting the exhaustion overwhelm her for a while. "And now we wait?" She asked softly.

"And now we wait." Jane confirmed. After a long pause, she said: "I just want to make sure it's safe, Maur. I know I can't know that for sure, but I need to know that I did everything in my power to try."

Maura kissed Jane's neck and snuggled close to her wife. "I know you do. You always do."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"It's getting dark, Jane. What are we going to do?"

Jane was sitting against a big tree with Maura leaning back into her, sitting comfortably between her legs. They had been observing the prison for hours and they hadn't noticed anything unusual. The security seemed strict and the prison looked safe.

Jane kissed Maura's neck. "Just a little longer."

"I don't think we are going to see anything we haven't seen already, Jane." Maura said as she snuggled in closer to her wife. "And I'm getting cold."

Jane tightened her grip around Maura's stomach and snuggled her nose into the crook of the doctor's neck. "Me too." She sighed. "I just can't make the decision to go in there. I would never forgive myself if it'll put you in danger."

"It's not just you, Jane. We make decisions together."

"I know, I'm sorry." Jane placed a kiss on Maura's temple and took a deep breath. "I just… I have this enormous, mostly irrational fear that you'll get hurt."

"Jane," Maura turned slightly in the embrace to look at her wife, "I will get hurt someday. If it's not today, it'll happen another day. This nightmare leaves no one untouched. But I need you to know that none of it is your fault. And we'll get through it." Maura smiled and wiped a tear from Jane's cheek. "When we lost Emma, I thought the immense pain would never end. But you dragged me through it, Jane. Whatever happens in the future, we'll get through it. As long as we're together, we'll be alright."

Jane felt tears burning in her eyes and a lump in her throat. "I-I…" She stumbled. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Maura kissed Jane's lips. "My love." She whispered as she leaned back into their original position.

"I love you." Jane mumbled into Maura's neck.

They sat like that for a while, not wanting to break the intimate embrace.

"Jane, do you hear something?" Maura asked softly.

Jane lifted her head from kissing Maura's neck and listened carefully. She heard leaves moving and twigs breaking. She quickly got up, drew her gun and pointed it at the source of the sound.

She saw four big dogs coming out of the forest. "Those aren't pet dogs." She whispered, mostly to herself. The dogs were growling and showing their teeth. "Don't move." Jane whispered at her wife.

Jane hesitated and was about to regret her hesitation for the rest of her life. In the one second she hesitated, a twig broke under her foot and the dogs jumped up to them. Jane fired her gun, not really seeing if she was aiming right.

Suddenly she was startled by a scream coming from behind her. She turned around and saw that a big dog knocked down her wife. Big teeth sunk down into Maura's arm, drawing a pained scream from the doctor's throat.

Jane kicked the dog hard and shot it with her gun. The dog fell to the ground with a cry. She kneeled down next to her wife, who was desperately holding her bleeding underarm. Jane felt that her gun was empty; she was completely out of ammunition now.

"Maura, look at me." Jane met with wide, hazel eyes, filled with tears. "What do I do?" She asked desperately. "What do you need?"

"Stitches… Bandages… Vaccinations, maybe antibiotics to prevent infections." Maura stuttered.

"We have none of that." Jane said softly.

"There's an extra shirt in the bag. Use it to bind the wound."

Jane looked through the bag, searching for the extra shirt, when she heard the way too familiar sound of a group of walkers making their way towards the two of them. The noise of the screaming and the shooting had drawn them out.

"Shit, my gun is empty." Jane said to herself. There were too many monsters to take on with just a knife. "We have to run, Maura!" She put her arm around her wife, helping her out of the forest. They had no other choice; they had to get into that prison.

They ran towards the fence on the left, just like Viola had told them to do. As soon as they were in sight of the security, they heard a man yelling: "Who are you? What do you want?"

"My wife is hurt! A dog bit her; she needs help! We met Viola, she told us to come here!" Jane answered.

"She infected?" The man screamed back.

"No, no, it was just a dog." Jane didn't want to think further. She knew there was a possibility to get infected by animals, but she repressed that thought with everything she had.

"Please, let us in! There are walkers headed towards here!"

Jane heard the big gate open and walked onto the grounds of the prison. They met with a man holding a big rifle. "I'm Patrick, follow me."

Jane didn't know what to think of this man, but she had no choice but to follow him. She kept her arm securely wrapped around Maura's shaking shoulders. "It'll be alright, sweetie." She whispered.

They walked into one of the cellblocks of the prison. It was some kind of meeting room. Everything was grey and harsh, there were a few tables and the walls were aligned with shelves full of supplies.

"Hand me your gun and your knifes." Patrick said bluntly.

"Why?" Jane asked suspiciously.

"You won't need 'em in here." He answered simply.

Jane hesitated. She didn't want to give up their weapons.

"Look, you want medical care?" Patrick asked.

Jane nodded.

"Then you better hand over those weapons."

Reluctantly she handed over her gun and knife as Maura did the same.

"Susan!" The man yelled at a woman who was organizing supplies at one of the shelves. "Can you take care of this?"

The woman named Susan turned around to look at Jane and Maura. She was older than Jane initially thought, but her face looked friendly. "Of course." She guided Maura to sit down at one of the tables.

"I'm Susan." She said while she was examining Maura's arm. "What happened?"

"We were in the woods, and we got attacked by dogs. One of them bit my arm." Maura answered. "It's not too deep, but I've lost quite some blood. Two or three stitches, some iodine and a good bandage will be enough. Perhaps antibiotics to prevent infections."

Susan smiled at Maura. "You seem to know what you're talking about."

"I'm a doctor. Medical examiner to be exact."

"I'm a nurse. Or at least I used to be." She started to gather supplies to treat Maura's wound.

"My name is Maura, this is my wife Jane."

"Nice to meet you." Susan walked to the table and put down the supplies. She started to disinfect the wound, making Maura hiss in pain. Her face turned serious as she took out a needle and suture. "Maura, I don't have anesthesia. This will hurt."

"I'm okay." Maura said confidently, but Jane saw her wife giving her a concerned look. Jane sat next to Maura and grabbed her hand. "Just squeeze as hard as you can." She whispered.

Maura pursed her lips together, tears forming in her eyes as Susan started stitching the bites. "Distract me." She managed to get out.

Jane strokes Maura's hair and turned to the nurse. "Can you tell us something about this place? How long have you been here?"

Susan's skilled hands kept working on Maura's arm. "I've been here for about six months. Got in a few days after everything went down. It's a good place, safe. But it's strict. It has to be. There need to be rules for something like this to work."

"I understand." Jane answered, trying to repress the pain in her hand from Maura squeezing so hard. "We met Viola. She told us about Jonathan, she said he decides if people can come in here."

"Yes, Jonathan's in charge." She gave Jane a quick look. "But I'm afraid he doesn't have much to decide about anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything comes at a price in here. You used medical care, supplies, my time… You'll have to earn that back."

"How?"

Susan was done stitching and started to apply the bandages. Maura's tight grip loosened on Jane's hand, but she kept holding it.

"Whatever you're good at. Everyone has a job here. If you can cook, you cook. If you can hunt, you hunt. If you're a doctor or a nurse, you provide medical care."

Jane didn't know what to think of that. It sounded like a good system to keep this place going, but the compulsion of it bothered her.

"So, if we pay off our dues, we can leave?" Jane asked carefully.

Susan hesitated. The hesitation made Jane worry. "I don't know." She said. "I've never met someone who got out." She smiled, trying to defuse the tension that was building up. "But why would someone want to get out of here? Jonathan is a good man. No one wants to be out there. It's better here."

Jane wasn't so sure about that. Her gut didn't trust this.

"Alright. I'm done here." Susan gently finished working on Maura's arm. "You need to take some rest, to recover from the blood loss. But… I don't think I have to tell you that." She smiled at Maura, who knew all this already and probably more. "Here are some antibiotics. They aren't very strong, but it's better than nothing." She handed Maura a small bottle of white pills. "I'll show you a cell where you can stay."

Maura and Jane followed the nurse further into the cellblock, still holding hands. A lot of cells were occupied. People were sleeping, talking, hanging out in their cell. It really did look like a prison, but more friendly and without criminals.

"Here you go. You'll have to share it. But don't worry; Lisa is a nice girl. She has a cute little boy named Bobby. She's out doing her chores now, but she'll be back soon. It's late." Susan opened the cell door. "Make yourselves comfortable!" She said with a smile.

"Thank you. For helping Maura." Jane said softly.

"You're welcome. It's no big deal; we all have to pay or dues." Susan said as she walked away.

Jane sat down next to Maura on the small bed. "Well, this is a depressing room." She said while she looked at the concrete walls. There was a bunk bed on each side of the cell. The sheets looked dingy, but it smelled clean.

Maura leaned back against the wall. "How are you feeling?" Jane asked as she tucked a strand of loose hair behind Maura's ear.

"A little dizzy from the blood loss and the pain. The stitches hurt, but it's bearable."

"You should lie down." Jane said as she eased Maura down on the bed. The doctor rested her head in Jane's lap and grabbed her hand.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this place, Jane." She said softly.

Jane sighed. "Me neither." She stroked Maura's hair and leaned back against the concrete wall. "Me neither."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

The night was restless, filled with sleeplessness and concerns. Maura was lying on the small bed while her wife spooned her from behind. She could feel her own heart beating in her wounded arm.

There was supposed to be another woman in this cell, but she stayed away all night. She didn't mind; she enjoyed being alone with her wife. Jane has been whispering loving, soothing words in her ear all night.

Maura had drifted off to sleep for a little while, but she knew Jane hadn't slept at all. Now the doctor was lying awake while she watched the early morning sun forming shadows on the floor outside of their cell.

She felt her wife softly kiss her neck and turned around in the embrace to face Jane. "Good morning, love" She said as she placed a quick kiss on Jane's lips.

"How are you feeling?" Jane asked huskily.

"Better. It still hurts, but it's better than yesterday. Susan did a very good job on the stitches."

"I'm glad." Jane kissed Maura's forehead and enveloped her in a tight hug. "I'm glad you're here." She whispered.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but with you, Jane." Maura sighed and was ready to tell Jane just how much she loved her but a loud voice screaming through their cellblock interrupted her.

"Morning clock! Breakfast in five, chores in fifteen!"

The man who was screaming reached their cell and stood still in the doorway. "Hi, I heard you're new here. I'm Tim, I'm in charge of this cellblock."

Jane and Maura quickly sat up, looking at the muscular man standing in front of them. He looked like he was around 35 years old, his hair was brown and messy and he was wearing a ripped, plaid shirt.

"I'm Jane, this is Maura." Jane said.

"Susan told me you used medical care yesterday. How are you planning on paying back?" The man asked.

"We don't know yet. Do you want money?" Jane got up from the bed to make Tim stop looking down on her.

"Money's worth shit in this world. You have to pay your dues by working."

Maura stood up next to Jane, placing her good hand on Jane's lower back. "What can we do?" She asked.

"I was about to ask you the same." Tim answered. "What can you do?"

"We can hunt." Jane said.

"I thought you were a doctor?" He pointed at Maura.

"She is," Jane said before Maura could answer, "but we work together. We're a good team. We hunt together."

"She can hunt? Like that?" Tim was referring to Maura's wounded arm and clearly weakened state.

"I'll be better in a few days." Maura said determined.

"Yeah, I don't have a few days to wait for you two." Tim shifted to lean against the doorpost. He pointed at Jane. "She's healthy, she's not gonna sit around and do nothing. There's a group going on a run for supplies in a few hours. Can you handle a gun?"

Maura looked at Jane and saw concern in her eyes. The doctor didn't like this at all.

"Yes I can, I'm a cop." Jane answered. "But if you think I'm going without her, you're wrong. I'm not leaving her."

"I don't think you have a choice, do you?" He said with a smirk that made Jane flinch.

"Who says I don't?" Jane asked in a defiant tone.

"The rules. Nobody's above the rules in here." Tim answered, annoyed by Jane's lack of cooperation.

"He's right, Jane." Maura whispered. As much as she hated it, they needed to conform to the rules of the prison. They had to pay their dues.

Jane looked at Maura. "No way, I'm not leaving you here."

Maura squeezed Jane's arm. "I'll be okay."

"Are we done with this crap? Meet us out front in half an hour." Tim said as he turned around to walk away. He looked over his shoulder, giving Jane an intimidating look. "Be there."

Tim walked away and Maura felt her wife pulling her in for a hug. "I don't want to go Maura." She said softly.

"I don't want you to go either, Jane." Maura kissed Jane's cheek. "But we don't have a choice."

Maura saw tears forming in Jane's eyes as she looked at her. "What if I get hurt out there?" She asked, her voice barely audible.

"You're a badass." Maura smiled. "Look at everything we've been through. If we can make it through that, you can make it through a hunt for supplies." She tried to make her words sound confident, but she was feeling extreme fear. She didn't want Jane to go. They hadn't spent more than an hour apart in the last six months. And even then, Jane was within reach.

She thought about the option of refusing, but that could possibly get them in even more trouble. The sooner they cooperated, the sooner this could be over.

Maura felt her wife pull her close to her chest. "I love you, Maur."

"I love you more." Maura said as she placed a kiss on Jane's neck.

"I love you the most." Jane replied as she squeezed Maura close to her.

They went to breakfast in the same room where Susan had treated Maura. It was crowded and is smelled like old food. Maura tried to eat but could hardly swallow her cereal. It didn't taste bad, but the knot in her stomach made it impossible to eat.

She looked around and saw a lot of different people. They all seemed stuck in a routine. They looked healthy, but bored. But most of all, as soon as Tim walked in, they all looked intimidated.

"Breakfast's over! Get to work, everybody." Tim called through the room.

Maura pulled her wife in for a desperate hug and felt tears burning in her eyes. She tried to prevent them from falling; if she would break down, it would only make Jane more concerned. "Please don't do anything stupid." She said softly while managing a slight smile.

"I promise." Jane kissed Maura's head. "Stay safe."

"I will, my love." Maura couldn't help it; tears were burning in her eyes. "I will." She pulled her wife in for a last, desperate kiss. "I love you so much, Jane."

"I love you too, Maura." Jane gave the doctor one last kiss and enveloped her in a last, close hug.

Breaking that embrace was one of the hardest things Maura had ever done. But she did it anyway. She watched as Jane followed Tim outside, looking over her shoulder one more time and then she was gone. Maura allowed tears to fall down her cheeks as she rushed back to their cell, collapsing on the bed. She prayed desperately for her wife to be safe and to come back soon.

"Hey, you alright?" Maura heard a female voice ask. She sat up and looked into the face of a young girl, probably in her early twenties. A little boy was sleeping in her lap.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." Maura wiped her tears away and smiled. "You must be Lisa. I'm Maura." She stood up to shake the girl's hand, careful not to wake the boy.

"Yes, nice to meet you. This is my son, Bobby."

Maura saw the boy with blonde curls peacefully sleeping in his mother's lap. Lisa must have been a teenager when she gave birth to him.

"He's a beautiful boy." Maura said.

"Thanks." Lisa smiled. "He's my life. He's all I have left." She shrugged. "Are you a mother?"

"I like to think I used to be." Maura answered, looking at the ground.

"What happened?" Lisa asked carefully.

"She didn't make it." Maura said softly.

"I'm sorry." Lisa whispered. "I can't imagine losing him." She said as she carefully stroked the boy's hair.

"I know." Maura threw her feet up on the bed and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. Maybe she was too dependent on Jane, but she didn't care. Jane was all she had left. Her wife was only gone for a few minutes and she missed her already. It felt like a piece of her heart was missing. All she could do was hope that Jane would be safe. "Please come back soon." She whispered barely audible. "My love."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Jane had been out on the run for supplies for nine days. They were with a group of five people, led by Tim. They had been driving around, hitting every village or city on the way. They combed out every drugstore, liquor store and house they saw. Searching for medical supplies, food, clothes and anything they might need. And unfortunately, that included large amounts of alcohol. The leader of the prison, Jonathan, had demanded booze, so the group took everything it could carry. Except for Jane, she refused. It had led to a big fight with Tim, who had beaten her so hard she could hardly breathe. After that, she just did what Tim wanted her to do, reminding herself that she promised Maura not to do anything stupid.

Now she was waiting in the car while the rest of the group was going through some houses. Her cheek was red and her left eye was swollen. It hurt, but it didn't hurt nearly as much as the pain of missing her wife. Her arms felt empty without Maura in them, her heart felt broken without Maura there to fill it with her love. She worried about the doctor, alone in the prison. She worried every second of every day, and the longer she stayed away, the more she worried.

If everything went according to plan, they could return to the prison after they finished searching these houses. Jane prayed it would be fast. She couldn't take another night without Maura in her arms.

Jane saw the group approaching, arms and bags full of cans, medicine and other supplies. She got out of the car to help organize.

"Rizzoli! Over here!" David, the guy they met at the cottage, called from the porch one of the houses.

Jane walked over to the man and took some supplies from him. "Got anything good?" She asked.

"Not bad. Aspirin, antibiotics, some bandages, condoms." He grinned.

Jane rolled her eyes. The longer she knew this guy, the more perverted he was acting.

"But I don't think you'll be needing condoms." David grinned and brought his face annoyingly close to Jane's. "Unless I can reform you someday. Which I'm fairly sure will be soon enough. Once you've had some real sex, you'll never want anything else. That woman of yours will be forgotten in no time."

Jane fought the urge to punch him in the face. In stead she harshly grabbed the condoms out of his hands and threw them on the ground. "Shut up." She said, her face screaming anger. She turned around to put the supplies in the car.

"What's the matter Rizzoli? Can't take a joke? Are you one of those sensitive dykes?" David mocked.

Jane tried to ignore him with all she had. "Don't do anything stupid." She whispered to herself. "You need to come back to your wife in one piece."

"What's going on?" Another guy from the group named Gary walked up to David.

"Rizzoli is being a buzz kill. I was just teaching her about real sex, telling her how being a lesbian is fuckin' stupid. I even offered her my game, but she refused. She'd rather have the pretty blonde back at the prison. Doesn't know what's good for her."

Jane knew he was just challenging her, trying to extract a response. But she felt the anger taking over.

She ran towards David and pushed him on the ground with great force. She grabbed his collar and looked into his eyes. "If you don't shut the fuck up right now, you'll be wishing you were never born." She harshly yanked his collar, beat his head on the hard concrete and stood up, walking back to the car.

"What is going on over there?" Tim called from a distance.

"Nothing, just a misunderstanding." Jane called back.

"Let's keep it clean, alright? We're almost done."

David looked at Jane, hatred showing on his face. "If Tim hadn't beaten you up already and if he wasn't standing right there, I'd beat the shit out of you."

He walked closer to the detective. "You're not getting away with this, Rizzoli. You're going to regret this." He took a deep, condescending breath. "Or maybe your girlfriend will regret that she ever decided to let you into her life. Once I'm done with her, she won't want to have anything to do with you. I'll beat the shit out of her. You know I can."

David knew exactly how to get to the detective; hurt the people she loved. He knew that he could threaten her al he wanted, but he could only truly hurt her by hurting the person she loved the most.

"You ever try touch Maura with one finger and I will fucking kill you." Jane said in her husky, intimidating voice.

"Try me." David said.

Thankfully, the rest of the group came back to the car to drop their supplies. She turned away from David, not wanting to look at his perverted face. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt fear burning in her chest.

They all got back in the car, Gary behind the wheel to drive, Tim sitting next to him. Jane sat in the backseat, staring out of the window. They were heading back to the prison. She couldn't wait to feel Maura in her arms again, to kiss her beautiful lips and to smell her scent. But she knew they were in danger. She had to keep Maura away from David. He wasn't making jokes. She knew this guy well enough to realize that he wouldn't hesitate to take it out on Maura.

They drove for hours while the sun started to set. They had to arrive at the prison before dark. Bust most of all, they had to arrive at the prison before Jane would slid David's throat.

After what felt like days, Jane could see the security towers in the distance. She sighed in relief. Maura would be in her arms again soon.

The gate opened for the car as Gary slowly drove onto the grounds of the prison. Jane could hardly keep herself from running towards their cellblock, towards her wife. They had to put the supplies away first. They organized everything, dividing the stuff over the different cellblocks. They sat the booze aside for Jonathan. They had collected quite a few bottles. It didn't matter what it was, as long as it contained alcohol. Jane had never seen this Jonathan, but she knew he was bad news.

"Are we finished here?" She asked as she put the last of her stuff away.

"I think so." Gary said. Jane liked Gary. He was a simple guy in his mid thirties. He didn't speak much and just did his work. "I'll bring these to block C." He pointed at a stack of blankets. "You go hug your wife."

"Thank you." Jane smiled. "It was nice working with you!" She called over her shoulder as she ran towards their cellblock D.

She entered the room and ran towards their cell, but she didn't see Maura. A young woman sat on the other bed, playing with a little boy. "Where's Maura?" Jane asked.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Jane, her wife. Where is she?" Jane asked, getting impatient and a little worried.

"She's working in the medical office. It's down the hall in this block, second door to your left."

"Thanks… Ehm…"

"Lisa."

"Thank you Lisa." Jane ran back, following the directions Lisa had given her.

She stopped at the second door to her left and looked through the small window. She saw Maura sitting in front of a young boy, putting a band aid on his scraped knee. The boy smiled, hopped off the table and walked towards the door where Jane was standing. "Thanks doctor." He said as he opened the door. Maura looked at him and saw her wife standing in the doorway.

"Jane." She said as she ran towards her wife, enveloping in a tight hug. "Oh Jane I've missed you so much."

Jane felt a lump in her throat. "I missed you too. So much." She finally felt complete again, endlessly grateful that the woman she loved was alive and well in her arms.

Maura lifted her head and looked at Jane, a shocked expression on her face. "What happened to your face?" She asked.

"Got into a fight with Tim. I refused to get alcohol for this Jonathan guy. He got mad. I did what he said. It's alright, it doesn't hurt anymore." Jane tried to smile at her wife. "I love you so much and I've missed you like crazy." She said as she pulled Maura in for another hug.

"I love you too, Jane. I'm so happy you're back." She mumbled. Jane felt Maura's tears wetting the crook of her neck.

"I'm never leaving you again."

They held their embrace for a few minutes until a knock on the door startled them. Susan walked into the medical office. "Hey, you're back." She said with a smile when she saw Jane.

"Yes, thank God." Maura answered, still holding Jane.

"I'm sorry to break the romance, but Leona needs some fresh bandages. Can you take care of that? I have someone in the other room. You can close up after this one." Susan brought a girl in, Jane estimated her age around 12 years old.

Maura gave her wife a squeeze and patted the chair in front of her, guiding the girl to sit down. "How is the pain?" She asked.

Leona shrugged. "It's okay."

"Good." Maura started to carefully take off the bandages of the girl's leg, revealing a deep wound.

"So, you're working here now?" Jane asked, looking around the office.

"Yes. After a day of rest, they decided that I was healthy enough to work. I'm helping Susan out."

Maura still had bandages around her arm where the dog had bitten her, but she could use her arm again so that was a good sign.

"So, no infections or anything?" Jane asked.

"No, not so far." Maura smiled as she applied fresh bandages to Leona's wound. The girl flinched. "I'll be done soon." Maura gave the girl a reassuring smile.

Jane watched Maura work, in awe of her precision and skills. After Maura was done, she cleaned up her supplies, locked the door of the office and took Jane's hand to walk back to their cell.

"It's late. Do you always have to work this late?" Jane asked.

"For the past three days, yes. We start early and finish late."

"You look tired." Jane said as she looked at her wife. She saw the lines around her eyes. Maura didn't have her usual energy.

"I am." Maura said. "But I still look better than you." They reached their cell and sat down on the small bed.

Lisa was gone and her boy was sleeping on the bed. "Where's the girl?" Jane asked softly, careful not to wake the boy.

"I don't know. She's out most nights. I'm afraid to ask." Maura said with a sad look on her face. She turned to face her wife. "Has someone taken a look at your face?" She asked.

"No. Yes. Me. I took a look at it and decided that it's not that bad."

"I don't fully trust your judgment." Maura smiled and took Jane's head in her hands, looking at her swollen eye and bruised cheek.

"Well now I'm offended." Jane said with a smirk.

Maura smiled and carefully stroked the bruises. She moved her gaze from the injuries to look into Jane's eyes. "I know you've only been gone for nine days but I missed you like you've been gone for years." She said softly. "It's like I wasn't complete anymore. Like a part of me was missing."

Jane felt tears burning, her heart glowing with love. "My arms were so empty at night." She said in a soft, husky voice. "All I could think about was how I left you alone in here."

Maura smiled as she stroked Jane's cheek, still holding her wife's head in her hands. "All I could think about was how I let you go out there." She said through her tears. "You have no idea how happy I am to have you back in my arms."

"I think I have some idea." Jane said with a smile as she wiped her tears away and kissed her wife. "I love you so much. Everyday I don't think I can love you more, but then I do and I get overwhelmed, over and over again."

Jane saw tears falling down Maura's cheeks. She expected a comment about her sentimentality, but in stead she just felt her wife's arms wrapping around her neck, face buried in her dark curls as tears continued to fall.

Jane knew they weren't safe in this prison. She knew that their nightmare wasn't over yet and that maybe the worst had yet to come, but nothing could be worse than being apart. All the worries, all the pain, all the fear; that was something for tomorrow. Tonight, the love of her life was back in her arms and right now, that was all she needed.

_A/N I don't like Maura and Jane being apart, so I got them back together as soon as I could, Please let me know what you think and what you think Jane and Maura should do next! _


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Maura woke up in the safety of Jane's arms, something that made her smile as soon as she opened her eyes. She saw Jane looking back at her with her deep, dark brown eyes. Maura softly kissed her lips. She saw the dark circles under Jane's eyes and noticed exhaustion on her wife's face.

"Did you sleep?" She asked softly as she leaned on her elbow to look at Jane.

Jane did the same as she fumbled with the hem of Maura' shirt. "No." She answered quietly.

Maura took her hand and placed it on Jane's cheek, softly brushing her thumb back and forth. "You need sleep, my love." She kissed Jane's forehead. "You're exhausted."

"I can't sleep." Jane whispered.

Maura patiently waited for an explanation, knowing Jane needed time to find the words to express her feelings and the courage to actually say them.

"I'm scared."

Maura kept her hand on Jane's cheek; her thumb never stopped making soothing strokes. "I know. Me too." She paused. "But Jane, I really do think we are safe here, as long as we follow the somewhat demanding rules these people have set."

Jane sighed. Maura knew there was something Jane wasn't telling her. Something happened on that trip. "What are you not telling me, Jane?" Maura asked concerned.

"I had a… discussion with David."

"David?"

"Yeah, remember that guy who was being a pervert about us being a couple? Back at the cottage?"

"Oh, that David. Yes." Maura said reluctantly.

"He was being an ass, basically. He kept saying awful things about me being gay."

Maura saw tears forming in her wife's eyes. Coming out as a lesbian had been incredibly hard on Jane. After years of struggling, she had finally come at peace with her sexuality, but things like this still hurt her deeply.

"Oh Jane. I'm so sorry." Maura wiped a single tear away with her thumb.

"He was saying how I don't know what sex feels like because I don't do men anymore and stuff like that. And then, on the last day he took it too far and I pushed him and hit his head on the ground."

Maura didn't want to encourage outrages like that, but she was proud that her wife stood up for herself, especially in this situation. This David deserved to have his ass kicked. Nobody was allowed to hurt her wife like that.

"He didn't like that, of course." Jane smiled through her tears but the smile quickly fell as she continued the story. "He knew how to get to me, Maur. He knew exactly how to probe me. He said-" Jane paused, afraid to go on.

Maura kissed Jane's tears away and felt her wife's fear.

"He said… Once he was done with you, you'd never want to have anything to do with me again. He said he'd beat the shit out of you." Jane said.

Maura felt her heart drop. She felt waves of fear washing over her. She shivered even though their cell was warm.

"I'm not gonna let that happen, Maur." Jane said determined.

"I know you won't." Maura wrapped her arms around Jane and rested her head on Jane's chest. She listened to her wife's soothing heartbeat.

"In what cellblock does David stay?" Maura asked softly.

"I'm not sure, I think A or B; he's close to the entrance."

"We're in D." Maura said, mostly do herself.

"I know." Jane kissed the top of Maura's head. "I'll do whatever I can to keep him away from you. I promise."

Maura smiled and snuggled in closer to her wife. She loved Jane's protectiveness, but she knew it could make her too single-minded. She'd forget that Maura could take care of herself too. But she didn't bring it up. She just enjoyed the closeness before they had to get out and start a new day.

"What are we going to do today, Jane?" Maura asked.

Jane sighed. "I don't know. I want to know if we paid off our dues yet so we can get out of here." She paused, making Maura lift her head to look at her wife. "Do you still want to get out of here?" Jane asked.

"Yes. These working schedules are crazy. I've never seen this Jonathan, but he doesn't sound good and with what happened with you on that trip… I want to leave as soon as possible."

Jane smiled. "Okay. So we'll go find that Jonathan guy."

Maura hummed. "Not right now though." She said as she squeezed her wife, not wanting to leave the comfort of Jane's arms.

"I'm not going anywhere." Jane said as she kissed Maura's forehead, hugging her back.

Thirty minutes later, Maura sat next to her wife, trying to eat breakfast. Jane wasn't eating either, nervous about what this day would bring. Too soon, Tim marched through the room, announcing a new workday.

Jane and Maura had planned to sneak out, finding someone who could bring them to Jonathan. They had discussed sneaking out of the prison, but the security was too solid. They would be seen. It was better to go the official way.

They were almost out the door when they heard Tim's voice calling them back. "Jane! Where do you think you're going?"

"We have an appointment with Jonathan." Jane said confidently as she squeezed Maura's hand.

Tim didn't look convinced. "We're late." Jane added. "If you don't mind, we'll get going."

Maura waited in fear, afraid that their plan would fail here. She looked anxiously at the man who was studying them, trying to determine whether they were telling the truth. Then he nodded and turned around. Maura let a breath escape she didn't know she was holding. They walked outside.

"What's the next step?" Maura asked as they walked into the morning sunshine.

"Find someone who can tell us where we can find the lunatic boss." Jane answered.

"Yes, I know that. But who?"

Jane was lost in thought for a moment and then said: "Gary."

"Who's Gary?"

"I met him on the trip. He's somewhere out here, he's supposed to work security."

It didn't take long for the two women to find Gary. He was strolling along one of the fences, holding a big rifle. They had told him their plan to get out of the prison. Gary didn't look convinced.

"It's not easy to get out of here." He said. "It's difficult when you're useless, but it's almost impossible when you can work. You can work, Jane. And you're a doctor." He pointed at Maura. "They won't let you go that easy. They need you."

"We want to try anyway." Jane said.

Gary shrugged. "Okay, whatever suits you. You can find Jonathan in the manager's building. I don't exactly know which office, but once you're in there, you'll find him."

"Thanks." Jane said as they turned around and walked towards the manager's building.

Maura felt that her wife was nervous. She squeezed Jane's hand. "It'll be okay, Jane. Worst-case scenario, he says we can't go. Then we'll find another way." She stood still to kiss Jane's cheek. "We always do."

Jane smiled, a little bit more at ease.

Once they were in the manager's building, it was surprisingly easy to get into Jonathan's office. It was almost too easy. It made Maura worry.

Jane knocked on the door and they heard a 'yes' coming from inside. They walked in and saw a man sitting at a desk, his back to the two women.

"Good morning, sir." Jane started carefully.

"You can call me Jonathan." The man turned around in his chair, facing them. Maura saw he was younger than she had expected, probably in his early thirties. He was quite handsome and his face looked friendly. But his eyes showed anger and dominance. It made Maura uncomfortable.

"With whom do I have the pleasure?" Jonathan asked as he folded his hands on his desk.

"I'm Jane Rizzoli, this is my wife Maura Isles. We came in here eleven days ago because she needed medical care, which we received. We have worked everyday since then to pay off our dues and we'd like to leave."

Maura looked anxiously at Jonathan. She couldn't read his facial expression.

"Why would you like to leave? You can't tell me you'd rather get ripped apart by walkers out there." He said, smiling.

"We'll be fine, we've managed before." Jane said.

Jonathan stood up and walked around his deck, sitting down on the edge. "Please, have a seat." He pointed at the two chairs in front of him. Jane hesitated. Maura knew Jane didn't like it when people could physically look down on her. She gently touched Jane's arm, guiding her to sit down.

"Tell me something about yourselves." Jonathan said friendly. It was a fake kind of friendliness that made Maura's anxiety rise.

"I'm a homicide detective. Maura's a medical examiner. I've been out on a supply hunt for nine days while she worked with Susan at the medical office. I think nine long days of work is more than enough for the medical care we received."

"And you two are married?" Jonathan asked, looking amused.

"Yes, we are." Maura said, jumping in before Jane could make a comment about the smirk on his face.

Jonathan thought about that for a while. "I'm afraid I can't let you go." He said.

With those words, Maura felt her courage drop. "Why not?" Jane asked a little too harsh.

"I have a good job for you." He pointed at Jane.

"I don't want a good job. I want to leave, with my wife."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." Jonathan turned around to sit back behind his desk.

Maura looked at Jane and saw concern and anger on her wife's face.

"What do you mean that's not going to happen?" Jane asked harshly. "What is this place? Are you holding people hostage or something?"

Maura placed her hand on Jane's arm. She met with angry brown eyes. They didn't need words; Jane understood Maura was telling her to calm down.

"Meet me tonight at eleven o' clock, right here in this building. You'll start your job then." Jonathan went back to reading the papers on his deck, not paying attention the two of them anymore.

Jane stood up and placed her hands on the desk. "Listen, I'm not doing any job. We paid off our dues and we want to get out of here. And you're gonna let us, you hear me?"

Jonathan looked up at Jane with an amused look. "You underestimate my position. That's not a clever thing to do, miss Rizzoli."

Maura placed her hand on Jane's lower back, trying to calm her down.

"Tonight, eleven o' clock. Be there." Jonathan said bluntly. "Now get out of my office."

Maura knew they weren't getting anywhere with this. They had to try it a different way. She softly grabbed Jane's arm. "Let's go, Jane."

Jane looked at her with wide eyes, still petrified with Jonathan's reaction. She followed Maura out of the office, outside where they walked around the building to a quiet place in the sun.

"I really hoped that was going to work." Jane said softly.

Maura wrapped her arms around her wife. "Me too, sweetheart."

"I want to get out, Maur. I don't like it here." Jane said. Maura heard tears in Jane's voice.

"I know." She whispered.

She stayed in Jane's arms, not knowing what to do next. She had more questions than she could count. What was the job Jonathan wanted Jane to do? Was there a way to get out of here? Was there anyone around who was willing to help them? Were they ever going to feel safe again?

These questions circled the doctor's mind as she clung to her wife. They were together, that was the most important thing. The questions stayed unanswered, but Jane was in her arms and that made her nightmare bearable.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

_A/N Just a warning beforehand, there will be talking about rape and stuff like that, but not for Jane or Maura. They'll be fine, I promise. _

They wandered back to their cell, trying to come up with a new plan. They had to sneak out, somehow. Jane knew they probably had to try it at night, but they needed a solid plan.

Maura patted the spot next to her on the small bed, guiding Jane to sit down next to her. "C'mere Jane." She said softly as she stretched her arms, welcoming Jane into her embrace. Jane held her wife close as she thought about a new plan.

The cellblock was nearly empty; everybody was working. They were surprised to see Lisa walking into the cell. She looked exhausted and pale.

"Hi." She said with a slight smile.

"Hi Lisa." Maura greeted her friendly as she lifted her head from Jane's shoulder. "Where's Bobby?"

"Daycare."

Maura looked at the girl in front of her, concern showing on her face. "Lisa," Maura started carefully, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Lisa said, looking at the doctor.

"What kind of work do you do around here?"

Lisa fumbled with her hands. "I'm not supposed to tell." She said softly.

"We're not going to tell anyone." Jane assured her.

Lisa looked suspiciously at them. "It's alright, Lisa. I'm just a little worried about you." Maura said.

Lisa smiled. "You don't even know me." She paused, struck by the kindness of the strangers sitting in front of her. "I work for Jonathan. I…" She stopped talking, reluctant to go on. She sighed. "I… entertain him."

Jane felt the hatred for Jonathan grow. "How?" She asked.

"Depends on what we have to pay off. Usually it's just bringing him drinks in an outfit of his choice. But when I've used daycare for Bobby, bringing drinks is not enough to pay it off…" Lisa paused as tears formed in her eyes.

"That's wrong." Jane whispered.

"You said 'we'..." Maura said. "Are there more girls?"

"Yes." Lisa said. "About four or five. He chooses us himself."

Jane looked at her wife and knew they were both thinking the same thing. What if this was the job Jonathan wanted Jane to do?

"How old are the girls?" Jane asked.

"Pretty young. Not older than 25 I think. The younger, the better."

That was good news. Jane was probably too old. Plus, he sounded like a guy who liked insecure, young girls to dominate. Jane was in no way like that.

"That's disgusting." Maura said with horror.

"Why don't you try to get out?" Jane asked.

Lisa sighed. "I don't stand a chance out there. I have to do what's best for Bobby."

"I'm so sorry." Maura said softly.

Lisa shrugged. "You do what you have to do to protect the ones you love."

Jane knew that was true. She would do anything to protect Maura, even if that meant entertaining a pervert. But at the same time, she didn't want to let it come to that.

These people were brainwashed with the idea that being outside of the prison would most definitely kill them. They were being convinced that Jonathan was a good leader.

"I'm sorry but I'm very tired so I'm gonna try to get some sleep." Lisa said as she lay down on the bed.

Jane leaned back against the wall, brining Maura with her in a close embrace. "We have to get out. Tonight." Jane said quietly.

"How?" Maura asked as she put her arm around Jane's waist.

Jane hesitated. She didn't know how. All the fences were carefully secured. At first she thought it was meant to keep walkers (and maybe people) out, but now she knew it was meant to keep people in. The only thing they could do was making a run for it.

"We run." Jane said.

Maura lifted her head to look at her wife. "We don't have weapons. How are we going to make it out there?"

"We'll figure it out." Jane sighed as she pulled Maura closer to her to kiss her soft lips. The kiss deepened as Maura let her hands wander over Jane's chest.

Jane moaned softly, careful not to wake the sleeping girl in the other bed. "I love kissing you." She whispered. "If I could only do one thing for the rest of my life, I'd choose to kiss you."

Maura smiled against Jane's lips as she leaned in for another kiss. "That doesn't sound efficient or healthy but I would certainly enjoy it." She smoothed Jane's messy curls and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much."

Jane pulled her wife down on top of her, lying comfortably on the bed in a close embrace. "I love you too, Maura."

They spent the rest of the day in their cell, afraid that they would be put to work if they showed their selves. At the end of the day, everybody came back from their jobs, filling the cellblock with chatter and fuss.

Jane pulled Maura in for a last hug. "C'mon, we have to go." She said as she kissed her wife.

They made their way through the cellblock. It was crowded with people eating dinner, so they didn't stand out. Surprisingly, it was relatively easy to sneak into the kitchen and take a few knifes. Dinner was already served, so the kitchen was empty.

Knifes hidden beneath their clothes, Jane and Maura walked outside, trying not to stand out in any way. Once outside, Jane stopped. She didn't know how to continue.

"Jane?" Maura asked, grabbing her arm. "What's our best option?"

Jane sighed. She was starting to tell her wife she didn't know, but got interrupted by Gary, walking towards them.

"Hi." He greeted them. "Did you find Jonathan this morning?"

"Yes, we did, thank you." Jane answered. Suddenly she realized that if there was one person that could help them, it was Gary.

"Gary," she started as she grabbed his arm, "we need to get out of here as quickly as possible." He started to speak but Jane interrupted him. "I know you think it's stupid but we know what we're doing. We have to get out. And we need your help."

Gary sighed. "I don't know Jane, it's dangerous to break the rules."

"You don't have to break the rules. You just have to tell us how we can break them."

Gary looked at Jane and Maura and saw the desperate expression on their faces. Jane hoped he realized how important it was for them to escape.

"Alright. There's a weak point in the fence left from block C. Security is solid, but around this time, they're only with two people guiding that side. You'll have to distract them to get out."

Jane sighed in relief, happy that Gary had decided to help them. "How do we distract them?" She asked.

"That's for you to figure out." Gary started to walk away. "Good luck out there. I hope you make it."

"Thank you, Gary. We will." Jane answered. She looked at Maura and started walking towards cellblock C.

Once they had reached the fence, they hid behind the building. "How do we distract them?" Maura asked, pointing at a man and a woman strolling along the fence.

Jane sighed as she tried to come up with a plan. She looked around and saw the weak spot Gary was talking about. The fence was broken and put back together with rope. It wouldn't be that hard to cut it with a knife. They just had to get rid of the security.

Jane inspected the area, looking for anything that could help them. Suddenly she felt her wife grabbing her arm. "Jane, the windows." Maura said as she pointed at a small office building on their left.

"You're brilliant, Maura." Jane said. She looked around for a rock, or anything heavy that could break a window. She needed to throw it far and hard, but she had a good arm.

She grabbed a brick a few feet away from them and got ready to throw it. She threw with everything she had, but she saw the brick hitting the wall, missing the window. She ducked down behind the building, afraid that the security heard it.

"Did you hear that?" The woman asked.

"What?" The man answered, looking at the woman.

The woman looked around, trying to find anything suspicious. "Nothing, never mind." She said.

Jane sighed in relief. Maura handed her a new brick and looked at her wife with wide eyes. She had to strike it this time.

Again, she threw the brick with all the force she had, a little higher this time. She ducked away as she heard glass tinkle.

She jumped up, grabbed Maura's arm and ran towards the weak spot in the fence, away from the security guards running towards the office building. Jane grabbed her knife, ready to cut the rope and get out. They reached the fence. Maura pulled the rope so Jane could cut it. Jane pulled the rope out of the fence and opened it for Maura to step through. Maura did the same for her and they ran.

Suddenly they heard a loud scream.

"They saw us!" Maura panted, still running.

"Just keep running!" Jane grabbed her wife's hand and ran towards the forest.

They heard gunshots and felt bullets landing in the ground around them. Jane heard her wife panting, terrified. Jane didn't feel fear. The only thing she felt was adrenaline and protectiveness. All she thought about was reaching the shelter of the woods.

"We're almost there, Maur." She panted.

She heard the gunshots stop. They were out of reach. Jane could only pray they wouldn't come after hem. Finally, they reached the woods.

Jane slowed down a little, looking at her wife who had tears streaming down her face. She stopped to wrap Maura in her arms. Maura cried into the crook of Jane's neck, holding her tight.

"They shot at us." The doctor panted.

"I know." Jane rubbed Maura's back, trying to soothe her. "But we're okay. We made it. We're out." She kissed Maura's temple. "We made it."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Maura stared out of the window of the familiar cottage, watching the sunrise. Jane had been reluctant to come back here, but Maura convinced her that the big herd of walkers would have passed by now. And since the cottage didn't contain anything interesting for them, they would have probably left it alone. Maura turned out to be right. They had walked all night, following the creek back to the cottage.

The herd had passed; there was no sign of it anymore. They weren't absolutely sure it was safe, but right now they just needed rest.

Maura felt strong arms wrapping around her waist, Jane hugging her from behind. She felt her wife place a kiss on her neck. "It's beautiful." Maura said, referring to the sunrise that made the sky look a bright pink.

"Yes, you are." Jane said in her soft, husky voice.

Maura smiled and turned her head to kiss Jane's cheek. "I meant the sunrise, but I'll take the compliment."

They looked out of the window, letting love and exhaustion wash over them. "It feels like coming home, doesn't it?" Maura said softly.

Jane nuzzled her face into Maura's hair. "Yeah. Coming home after a long, crazy day."

"I worry about the people in the prison. About Lisa, Bobby, Susan…" Maura said after a long pause.

"I know. Me too." Jane sighed. "There's nothing we can do, though. It wasn't easy for us to get out, but it's possible. If they decide to get out, they will."

"They won't decide that." Maura said quietly. "They think it's better in there."

She turned around in the embrace to wrap her arms around Jane's neck and looked deep into Jane's eyes. "Thank you for getting us out." She whispered.

"It wasn't me. We both did that." Jane pressed her lips to Maura's as she squeezed her tight. "C'mon." She said as she led Maura to the comfortable couch in the living room. Jane sat down with her back against the armrest, opening her arms for Maura. Maura gratefully accepted the embrace, lying in between Jane's legs, resting her head on her wife's chest.

Maura felt her wife hugging her so tight she could hardly breathe. "Jane," she said, smiling, "I love your hugs but you're making it hard for me to breathe."

Jane let her tight grip go. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Maura kissed the bottom of Jane's jaw. "I love your hugs anyway."

They allowed a comfortable silence to fall. Maura had a hard time keeping her eyes open. They had walked all night, her muscles hurt and she was spent.

"Get some sleep, honey." She heard Jane say softly.

Maura lifted her head to look at her wife. "You too, Jane. You're exhausted."

"I'm okay." Jane smiled, but Maura knew her wife was beyond tired. She hardly slept while they were in the prison, and until now her body had only functioned on adrenaline.

"Jane, we're safe here. You need sleep." Maura smoothed Jane's messy black curls. "You need to let your guard down. It's okay." She felt the tensed muscles of her wife, the knots in her neck and her strained shoulders.

Jane averted her eyes and fumbled with Maura's blonde locks.

"Please talk to me, sweetheart." Maura said sweetly. Maura saw that Jane was gathering courage to admit her feelings. She gave her wife the time she knew she needed.

"I'm so afraid of losing you." Jane started softly. "I feel like I have to soak up every moment I have with you. When I'm asleep…" She paused to swallow a lump in her throat. "I don't want to miss these moments with you."

Maura felt tears burning in her eyes. At times like this, she still got overwhelmed by how much Jane actually cared about her.

"Sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere." Maura stroked Jane's cheek as her other hand caressed her wife's arm. "We have the rest of our lives together!"

"You don't know that. No one is safe in this nightmare." Jane said softly.

"You're right, I don't. But I have to believe it. We survived everything up until now; I have to believe that we'll survive whatever comes our way next. We're strong. We stick together, we survive, and we love. That's what we do." Maura smiled soothingly, seeing tears falling down Jane's face.

"I'll never, ever leave you." She kissed Jane's tears away. "We have out entire lives together, my love."

Jane wiped her tears away. "If I live to be 150 years old, it still wouldn't be enough time with you."

Maura laughed and kissed Jane's lips, tasting her salty tears. "I love you so much, my badass, mushy detective."

"I'm not mushy." Jane pouted.

"Oh yes you are." Maura laughed as she snuggled back into their embrace. "That's one of the thousands of reasons why I love you so much."

Jane sighed and breathed in Maura's scent. "I love you too."

Maura felt her wife relax underneath her, finally letting go of all the tension. After just a few minutes, Jane's regular breathing told Maura that she had finally fallen asleep. Maura smiled and let herself relax in her wife's embrace.

She realized how lucky they had been. It had been a nightmare, and it still was, but they survived it. Their endless love had pulled them through it. And it would continue to pull them through everything they will pass through in the future.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Jane woke up feeling refreshed and even quite happy. The position of the sun told her it was somewhere in the afternoon. They had slept through most of the day and Maura was still asleep in her arms. She admired the beauty in her arms, smiling when she thought about their talk that morning. Maura knew exactly how to put her at ease; she knew exactly how to make her feel like the most loved person in the world.

She felt her wife stir in her arms as she slowly woke up. "Good morning, beautiful." Jane said in a husky, sleepy voice.

"Hi" Maura softly kissed Jane's lips and stretched. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, actually."

Maura smiled. "Good. You look better."

"So, you're saying I looked bad?" Jane mocked.

"No, I just mean you looked tired. You're too beautiful to look bad." Maura smiled adoringly at her wife, making Jane blush.

"I haven't showered in a long time and I can't even remember the last time I brushed my hair. Don't tell me I can't look bad." Jane smirked.

Maura lifted her head to look at her wife. "You are without a doubt the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life. You could go without a bath for years and I'd still think you're absolutely gorgeous."

Jane felt her cheeks flush red. "Thank you." She mumbled.

Maura pressed a kiss against Jane's lips and added: "Although I truly hope you're not planning on going years without a bath. I like baths without you." She smiled.

Jane hummed. "I miss baths with you." She smiled, remembering earlier times; soaking in Maura's bathtub, with the beautiful doctor pressed up against her, often leading to more interesting activities. "I miss baths in general, but especially with you."

Maura pulled Jane in for a deep kiss. Jane moaned into the kiss and pulled Maura flush on top of her.

"We need to get some water from the creek today." Maura said as she broke the kiss, panting lightly.

"Hm, can't we just bathe in the creek?" Jane said huskily.

"I don't think that's a good idea. We don't want to get attacked or walked into while bathing. Don't forget we're still relatively close to the prison. Besides that, I can't determine if it's clean and healthy." Maura explained professionally.

Jane sighed. "Alright, doctor. Way to kill the fun." She winked at her wife and kissed her again, lips sliding smoothly over each other. Jane sucked on Maura's bottom lip, feeling her warm tongue entering Maura's mouth. Minutes later they broke the kiss, gasping for air. Jane felt Maura's hot breath on her lips and smiled.

"We can have fun without baths." Jane said, smirking.

"Yes we can." Maura said. "But right now we really do need to get some water. We still need to boil it, and it's already way past noon."

Jane groaned. "Not yet." She whined, pulling Maura impossibly closer to her.

"Five minutes." Maura mumbled as she snuggled back into her wife.

Jane managed to stretch the five minutes into thirty minutes filled with cuddles and words of love. After that they headed to the creek, carrying heavy buckets full of water back into the cottage. Maura started to boil the water in the kitchen as Jane walked outside to fill another bucket.

Suddenly she froze. Far in the distance, she heard the sound of snarling walkers. She looked around but didn't see anything. She ran inside, knowing their cottage was on top of a small hill and would give her a clear view of the forest.

"Jane, what's wrong?" Maura asked, following her wife into the living room.

Jane stopped in front of the large window and looked outside. She saw another herd of walkers heading towards them. It wasn't a big one, but it was definitely a herd.

She felt Maura standing next to her. "Jane, what-" she stopped talking as she saw what Jane was looking at. "Oh no."

Jane weighed their options. They couldn't take them on; they didn't have guns and it was too difficult with just knifes. They could run, but Jane decided that would be their absolute last option.

"What do we do, Jane?" Maura asked, looking at her with wide eyes.

"It's not a big one. I think we can sit it out." Jane answered softly.

"Are you sure? You know those creatures can smell us, possibly hear us… Are you sure that herd isn't strong enough to tear down the house?"

"No, I'm not sure." Jane said, placing her arm around Maura's shoulder. "But I think we have a good chance. It's not as big as the last one. We can stay in the bathroom upstairs, it's the most isolated room. I think we can sit it out." Jane looked at her wife and showed a slight smile. "What do you think?" She asked for her wife's opinion.

Maura sighed. "I think you're right."

Jane saw Maura studying the herd in the distance. "At the speed they are moving now, it'll take them approximately half a day to get here, which means they'll be here tonight, maybe tomorrow morning. It will probably take a day before the herd has passed, and another day before they are at an acceptable distance from us, maybe even two." Maura looked back at her wife who was listening intently. "Three days in a bathroom?" She asked.

Jane sighed. It wasn't ideal. "I think it's our best option."

She pulled Maura close to her for a tight hug. They didn't have much food left, but it would be enough for the next few days. They had plenty of water and they would stay in a room with a toilet. There was no running water, but they had brought enough buckets in from the creek to flush.

Maura took a deep breath and released it in the crook of Jane's neck. Jane kissed Maura's temple. "We need to gather supplies." She pulled back to look at her wife and smiled. "Are you sure you can spend three days in a bathroom with me?"

"I don't particularly enjoy spending multiple days in a bathroom, but if I have to, I don't want to do it with anyone but you." Maura smiled and placed a sweet kiss on Jane's lips. "Besides, I can think of some fun things to do in a bathroom."

"We have to be very quiet, you know that right?" Jane said, smiling.

"I do."

"As I recall, you're not the best at keeping quiet while doing fun things." She smirked at the doctor, pressing her lips against Maura's.

"Look who's talking." Maura smirked, winking at her wife.

She pulled Jane in for a tight hug before she let go and went to get the now boiling water and put it in whatever container she could find. Jane went through the house for other supplies.

"You know, there is one good thing about this." Maura called to Jane from the kitchen. "The people at the prison won't come to get us if there's a herd nearby. It's heading straight to the prison. They will have other things on their minds for at least a few days."

Jane knew Maura was right. David knew where the cottage was. He didn't know Jane and Maura went back there, but he could tell the other people at the prison. They hadn't exactly made friends over there. If they really had it out for them, they would probably check it. Luckily, the herd was heading in the direction of the prison, making it unlikely for people to head this way. At least for the next few days, maybe weeks.

Jane grabbed a few blankets and pillows and carried them upstairs, leaving them in the small bathroom. She grabbed some extra clothes from a closet and went back to the kitchen, helping her wife carry the water and food upstairs.

"I think we're set." Jane said, looking at the filled bathroom. There was only a small window in there, making it hard to see what was happening outside.

"I think so too." Jane felt her wife wrapping her in a warm embrace.

"We'll survive, Jane. "This too shall pass."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"I hate the sound they make." Maura said softly, forced to listen to the hissing, snarling moans of dead creatures making their way around the cottage.

Jane sighed and leaned her head back against the wall she was sitting against. "Me too."

Maura didn't exactly know what time it was, but it had to be somewhere around noon. They had tried to sleep, but woke up in the middle of the night by the herd approaching the house. The situation was looking good so far; the walkers didn't show any interest in the house. As long as they didn't sense Jane and Maura, they would probably pass by eventually.

Jane was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her back leaning against the wall of the upstairs bathroom. Maura sat opposite her, clutching her knees against her chest. Her muscles were stiff and painful after only half a day on the floor. She wasn't looking forward to the days to come. She felt trapped and cramped.

"Maura," Jane said quietly, breaking the comfortable silence, "can I ask you something?"

Maura looked at her wife and saw her studying the doctor intently. "Of course, sweetheart." Maura said with a loving smile.

Jane averted her gaze, gathering courage to ask the question. "Do you ever regret falling in love with me?" She studied the white tiles of the bathroom floor.

"No! What do you mean?" Maura answered instinctively and confused.

"I mean… You're so amazing and you could get anyone you wanted. Someone with… I don't know, money, education, sophistication." Jane's voice trembled and Maura saw she couldn't quite find the words she was looking for. "But you settled for me. And sometimes I worry that you regret falling in love with me. Because you could have gotten so much better."

"Jane-," Maura started, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Her heart broke as she heard the words coming out of her wife's mouth.

"I want to give you everything in the world, Maura. But I can't. And maybe you deserve someone who can give you everything."

"You are giving me everything you have, Jane!" Maura fought to keep her voice down.

"But what's that? All I have is my crazy protectiveness. I often get so caught up in protecting you that I don't even see you anymore." Jane paused, still avoiding Maura's gaze.

Maura tried to keep the tears at bay but felt them falling down her cheeks anyway. Jane was an amazingly strong woman, but she held so many insecurities inside.

She scooted over to sit closer to her wife. "Jane, my love." She said softly, placing a hand on Jane's cheek. "I _love _you, sweetheart. I love you with everything I have. When are you going to get that?" She pressed her lips against Jane's forehead, closing her eyes, soaking in the scent of her lover. "I don't need money or sophistication. I don't need anything except your love. And you're giving me plenty of that."

Maura paused, giving her wife a chance to let her words sink in for a moment. "Jane, can you look at me please?"

After a few moments, Maura met with deep brown eyes, shimmering with tears. "When are you going to get that I _want _to be with you? When are you going to let these insecurities go? When are you going to see how much I truly love you?"

"I don't know." Jane whispered, at loss for words.

"I love you so much Jane. So, so much." Her eyes filled with tears as her heart burst with love. "I love you so much." She repeated as she placed a sweet kiss on the corner of Jane's mouth.

Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's neck, pulling her close and burying her head in Maura's hair. Maura heard her wife sniffling and felt tears wetting her shoulder.

"You have to stop making me cry." She heard Jane mumble against her.

Maura let out a soft laugh. "Well, you have to stop doubting my love for you."

"I'm not doubting your love for me." Jane said softly, lifting her head slightly. "I'm doubting myself."

"I truly hope you can see yourself the way I see you one day. I hope you'll see yourself for the caring, gorgeous, intelligent and strong woman you are."

Maura saw Jane trying to speak, but failing. In stead she just enveloped Maura in another tight embrace. "When I think about how much I love you, I can't help but cry because I literally love you so much it hurts." Jane said softly.

Maura swallowed a lump in her throat. She broke the embrace to pull Jane in for a long and deep kiss. She smiled when they broke the kiss, lungs screaming for air. She panted into her wife's mouth.

"This would be incredibly romantic if we weren't in an old bathroom and we weren't surrounded by those creepy noises." Jane smirked through her tears.

Maura pressed her lips against Jane's for a moment. "In a world like this, this is incredibly romantic." She smiled.

Suddenly the sounds from outside changed. It wasn't just walkers passing by anymore; it sounded like they had stopped. Maura felt Jane tense in her embrace. "What's happening?" She asked concerned.

Jane stood up to climb on the toilet and look out of the small window. Maura saw her wife's shoulders drop as she rested her forehead against the wall.

"What is it, Jane?" Maura felt a knot forming in her stomach as she stood up and placed her hand on Jane's lower back.

"They got a deer. About ten of them are feasting on it." She said as she hopped off the toilet, sliding down with her back against the wall.

Maura sighed. They both knew what this meant. It would probably draw out more hungry monsters, and it would take longer for the herd to pass. The good thing was that their interest would be directed at the dead animal instead of their cottage.

Jane dropped her long legs and sweetly guided Maura to sit in her lap. Maura greedily welcomed the gesture, wrapping her arms around her wife's neck.

"Looks like we'll be in here for a while." Jane sighed.

Maura kissed the spot behind Jane's ear. "I'm glad it's with you."

_A/N I love to write this fluffy, mushy Rizzles love, but sometimes I'm afraid it's a little too much? I'm not sure. I'd love to hear what you think! Also, would you like to read more bathroom-trapped chapters? If not, what else would you like to read? Your reviews are greatly appreciated! _


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"Jane," Maura whispered softly while she clung to her wife, "I'm scared."

Jane strengthened their close embrace. "They're busy with the deer now, Maura. They're probably not even seeing the house."

"Yes, for now. But it will draw out more walkers. The herd will get bigger. What if it gets too big, Jane?" She said as she lifted her head to look at the dark haired detective.

Jane sighed. "I don't know." She whispered, her voice barely audible.

Jane felt a sting in her chest and the knot in her stomach tighten. They had no choice but to stay in the bathroom. They didn't have guns; going outside would be suicide. It would be impossible to take on the herd with just knifes; even if it was a relatively small one. The only thing they could do was sitting it out.

"I need distraction." Jane said, shifting next to her wife, looking around for anything to distract her from the hurling, snarling sounds coming from outside of the cottage. She needed to keep her thoughts off the situation they were in or she was going to lose her mind.

"Do you remember our first kiss?" Maura asked, trying to find a talking subject. Jane looked at Maura and saw the doctor looking at her with loving eyes.

She eased down a bit. "Yeah, I do." She smiled, remembering the moment. "I think that was the scariest moment of my life." Jane said, blushing. "But it was also the best moment of my life."

"Really? Kissing me was the scariest moment in your life? After surviving in a world that is taken over by dead creatures trying to eat us?" Maura smiled adoringly at her wife leaning against the bathroom wall.

"Yeah." Jane laughed. "I was so afraid you'd reject me and I'd ruin our friendship. I was madly in love with you and I didn't even realize it for so long."

"Little did you know that I had been in love with you for even longer." Maura smiled, placing a sweet kiss on Jane's cheek.

"How was I supposed to know? Yeah, it was pretty obvious afterwards but not at the moment! I just thought those adoring looks and lingering touches were signs of a good friendship. Not any friendship that I'd ever been in, but still…"

Maura laughed and put a strand of dark hair behind Jane's ear. "Oh Jane." She kissed her wife's temple. "It took us both a while, but it was all worth it."

Jane let out a soft laugh. "I was so indescribably happy when you accepted that kiss."

"I was indescribably happy when you finally kissed me." Maura pressed her lips to Jane's. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my feelings sooner."

"It's a little late for that, Maur." Jane grinned as she kissed her wife back.

"I'm still sorry. We could have had so much more amazing moments if I would have admitted my feelings sooner."

"I wasn't ready back then." Jane shrugged. "I was so overwhelmed by my feelings for you. I needed time to figure them out, and I needed time to adjust to the fact that I was in love with a woman." Jane sighed, the air thickened with emotional pressure as she went on. "I needed time to realize and accept the fact that I've actually been attracted to women my whole life."

Maura kissed the corner of her wife's mouth, letting the kiss linger for a moment. "I know, my love."

Jane knew Maura had known all her life that she was attracted to both men and women. She had been with both before. Jane had only been with men, but nothing ever worked out. Which wasn't surprising, considering the fact that she wasn't attracted to men at all. None of the relationships she ever had felt like what she had with Maura. It didn't even come close.

"I'm glad you took the time. It led to the best time of my life." Maura said softly, interrupting Jane's thoughts.

Jane smiled. "Mine too." She kissed Maura softly on the lips. "I mean, I wouldn't exactly call this the best time of my life," she said, referring to the monsters outside, "but you made my life so much better."

"I love you, Jane." Maura smiled and pulled Jane into her arms, pressing a trail of wet kisses down her wife's neck.

Jane let out a soft moan. "I love you too, Maur." She said softly, her hands massaging Maura's hips.

"I love your neck." Maura purred. "Especially this spot." She pressed open-mouthed kisses to the crook of her wife's neck.

Jane hummed as she felt her arousal built. "You better stop that or else I'm not responsible for my actions." She said in a soft, husky voice.

"Maybe I don't want you to be." Maura replied in a seductive voice.

"Don't tease if you're not gonna do anything about it, please." Jane took Maura's head in her hands, placing a sweet kiss on her lips.

Maura smiled and looked lovingly into her wife's deep, brown eyes. They both knew they had to be quiet and alert; it wasn't the time for things like this, no matter how much they longed for it.

Maura hummed, leaning in for another light kiss. "I know."

"I should check outside." Jane said, reluctant to break the contact.

Maura smiled at smoothed Jane's unruly curls. "Okay." She whispered as she placed a last kiss on her wife's cheek.

Jane climbed up on the toilet again, looking out of the small window. Immediately, her muscles tensed up and she sucked in a sharp breath. The herd had grown. And not just a little bit. There were probably more than fifty monsters out there. The deer was being torn apart by dozens of walkers; there wasn't much left of the animal.

"What's happening, Jane?" She heard her wife ask with a concerned voice.

"It's bigger." Jane answered as she placed her palms on the wall in front of her. "There are too many."

"What do you mean? Jane? Are we okay in here?" Maura grabbed Jane's wrist, urging her wife to look at her.

"We don't have a choice." Jane said, turning around. Her shoulders fell as she looked at Maura with sad eyes. "We can't go out there. We're stuck in here."

Maura tried to speak, but got interrupted by a scratching sound coming from downstairs. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Jane with a shocked expression. "What was that?"

Jane closed her eyes as she slid down the wall. "The front door, probably."

Maura stood up, looking down at her wife with a panicked look. "What do you mean the front door? How can they get up the stairs?!"

Jane hissed and stood up to face her wife. "For God's sake, be quiet, Maura!" She whispered. "It's not a steep stairs leading up to the house! If there's enough of them, they can get up."

"But why would they? Have they seen us? Smelled us?" Maura kept her voice down but Jane saw she was still panicking.

"I don't know. Maybe we left a scent or something, I don't know. I don't know how these creatures work."

"Their senses are not strong enough for that." Jane saw Maura's big brain working, trying to come up with an explanation.

"The chances of them getting to us are very small, Maura." Jane whispered, trying to soothe her wife's panic. "The front door is pretty solid, and even if they get through, the stairs to the bathroom are pretty steep."

"We have to get out!" Maura whispered.

Jane grabbed her wife's arms, seeing tears shimmering in her eyes. "We can't. We're surrounded by monsters. We have to sit it out. They'll pass eventually."

"I'm going crazy, Jane. I can't sit here while monsters are invading the house!" Tears were now streaming down the doctor's face.

"We don't have a choice! If we go outside, we'll get attacked and we die. Period. There are just too many of them." Jane softly wiped her wife's tears. "They'll lose interest eventually. They'll move on."

Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's neck and clung to her wife. "I'm scared." She whispered through her tears.

Jane sighed as she stroked Maura's back, burying her head in blonde curls. "Me too." She said softly. "Me too."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Maura hadn't broken their close embrace in hours. They didn't speak, afraid to startle the walkers scratching at the front door. Jane never stopped making slow, loving strokes on Maura's back.

"They're not leaving, Jane." Maura whispered quietly, her voice barely audible.

Jane let out a deep breath and leaned back to look into her wife's eyes. Maura saw concern and fear, a look she didn't like to see on Jane's face. She felt the detective's lips pressing against her forehead as she pulled her as close as humanly possible.

She clung to her wife, as she tried to repress immense fear taking over her mind. It was a good sign that the walkers didn't break through the front door yet, but the awful scratching, snarling sounds didn't fade. They were trying to get in for hours now and they didn't give up.

Maura felt Jane carefully breaking the embrace to climb up the toilet again, looking out of the small window. After a few moments, she sighed and climbed down, wrapping Maura in her arms again. Maybe she was needy, but after everything they had been through, Maura couldn't even bare being out of Jane's reach for a few minutes.

"It's getting quieter outside. There aren't more than a dozen, maybe twenty left." Jane whispered as she smiled at her wife. "They're moving on, Maur. We'll be out soon."

Maura sighed in relief, pulling Jane in for a sweet kiss. "Thank God." She whispered, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Do you think we should try to get out through the back door?" Maura placed her hands on Jane's biceps, looking into her wife's eyes.

Jane thought about that option for a moment, looking at the bathroom wall. "I don't think we can stay here. The people at the prison know this place." She took a deep breath, bringing her gaze back to Maura. "We'll try in a few minutes."

Maura rested her head on the taller woman's shoulder, bracing herself for what was coming. She squeezed Jane into her tight embrace; enjoying the moment of closeness. "I can't get enough of you." She whispered into Jane's messy curls.

"I love you so much." Jane placed a sweet kiss on Maura's head while her hands rested on her wife's lower back.

Suddenly a loud bang and the cracking of wood startled them. Maura quickly lifted her head from Jane's shoulder, looking into wide, dark eyes. "They got in!" She whispered, panicking.

In flash, Jane ran around the small bathroom, throwing a few bottles of water and some food into a bag. She grabbed Maura's arm and opened the bathroom door. Downstairs, walkers started invading the living room, heading towards the two women on top of the stairs.

"The back door!" Jane yelled at her wife, knife ready to kill the monsters that got too close.

Maura ran down the stairs, following Jane. She stabbed every walker that got in her way, drilling her knife deep into skulls.

"Maura!" Jane had reached the backdoor, holding it open for her wife.

Maura pushed a monster away from her and reached the door, running outside. They followed the creek in the opposite direction from the prison. It didn't take long for them to outrun the herd; the walkers had a hard time getting out of the cottage.

The doctor kept running, following her wife through the woods, keeping the creek on their side. She panted; her muscles were sore and stiff after days of sitting in the small bathroom. The sun burned down at her skin, causing sweat to trickle down her back.

Suddenly she felt Jane softly grabbing her arm. She slowed down to look at her panting wife. "We can slow down, now." Jane said hoarsely.

They went on in a moderate walking pace, holding hands. After a while, the creek led to a small lake.

"Jane, can we stop there?" Maura asked. The muscles in her legs were burning and her back was aching.

Jane looked around and listened for any suspicious noises, but didn't hear anything. "Yeah, yeah this is a good spot." She said, smiling at her wife.

They sat down at the shore of the small lake, admiring the beauty of the nature around them. Maura felt strong arms wrapping around her. She sighed and let herself fall into her wife's embrace, nuzzling her head in Jane's sweaty neck.

"We made it. We're okay." Jane said soothingly.

Maura turned her head to kiss her wife. "Yes, we are." She whispered. She rested her head on Jane's shoulder, looking into the distance.

A comfortable silence fell as they let the exhaustion take over for a while.

Maura took Jane's hands in hers and softly massaged Jane's palms. She lifted her head to look at the brunette sitting next to her. She watched Jane looking at the lake and the trees surrounding it. She admired her wife's beauty. Her strong jawline and her mouth slightly open, still panting lightly. She admired the soft lips she loved to kiss so much and those beautiful dark eyes that made her fall in love with the detective in the first place.

"It's beautiful here." Jane said softly.

"You're more beautiful." Maura said, reaching up to cup Jane's face and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

Jane smiled adoringly as she gratefully received and deepened the kiss. Careful not to get carried away, they broke the kiss and looked into each other's eyes.

"Where should we go?" Maura asked, putting a strand of hair behind her wife's ear.

Jane sighed, smiling slightly at the sweet gesture. "Maybe we should try to find a main road? Fix up a car?"

Maura nodded. She knew Jane still wanted to find her family. She had no idea where to start looking, but they had to start looking someday.

"I've been thinking…" Jane said softly, "Maybe we can head back to Boston?"

"Boston got overrun, Jane. We saw it."

"Yeah, but that was months ago. Who knows what happened in the meantime. We can see if it's overrun without going into the city. If it's not safe, we leave." Jane paused, softly grabbing Maura's hands. "I have no idea how to find my family, Maura. But maybe we can start in Boston. I need at least somewhere to start. Maybe they went back there."

Maura knew the odds of finding the Rizzoli's there weren't great, but Jane was right. It was a start. If they didn't go and ended up never finding them, Jane would regret it for the rest of her life.

"Boston is far, Jane. It could be up to a ten hour drive."

"I know." Jane shook her head. "Maybe it's stupid. It's probably still overrun." She said, averting her gaze to look into the distance. "I just…"

"You just have to make sure. You have to make sure you've tried everything to find them." Maura softly finished Jane's sentence.

Jane looked at her wife, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Yes." She whispered.

Maura pressed a kiss to Jane's temple, tasting her salty skin. "I understand, my love."

"I don't want to put you in danger again." Jane said softly.

"Jane, I want to find your family as badly as you do. I miss Frankie; I miss you and Frankie tease one another." She smiled as her wife let out a soft laugh. "I miss your mother so much." She whispered. "Like I'm missing my own mother."

Jane smiled at the doctor. "I bet she's missing you even more." Her smile faded as she added: "If she's still alive."

Maura felt tears burning in her eyes and pulled Jane in a warm embrace. "She is, Jane." She caressed Jane's back as she looked at the lake in front of them.

"She is a badass." Jane mumbled in the crook of Maura's neck. Maura laughed as she felt Jane lifting her head to look at her.

"Yes, she is." The doctor said, smiling. "Who do you think you've got your badass genes from?"

Jane laughed and placed a sweet kiss on Maura's lips. "I love you."

Maura hummed as she smiled at her wife, her face beaming with love and adoration. "I love you too."

Jane started checking the contents of the bag she had been carrying; not sure what she had put in there. She pulled out three rather large bottles of water; one of them was half empty. They had four cans of food left, enough to get them through a few days of searching for a car and a main road. The detective let out a small laugh as she pulled out the extra shirt Maura had put in there a while ago.

"Really? Clothes?" She said, looking mockingly at her wife. "The world ended and you still care about clothes?"

"I thought it would be hygienic to change clothes every now and then." Maura answered logically.

Jane gave the shirt to Maura. "You can have it. I bet it looks great on you."

Maura laughed and took off her bloodstained white t-shirt. She took the shirt from Jane, a blue shirt with half sleeves. It was a little too big, but it was clean and it didn't have blood from the monsters on it.

"See, I knew you would look stunning in it." Jane said as she washed Maura's other shirt in the lake, watching the blood leak into the water.

When she was finished, Maura took over the bag and they started walking into the forest. She clung to her knife, ready to confront the horror that was possibly hiding in the woods. But more than that, she clung to her wife, never letting go of Jane's hand.

_A/N Please let me know your thoughts and feelings about this chapter and about the decision to go back to Boston! I love getting reviews from all of you. : ) _


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Their journey had been quiet for a while. They had walked into three, maybe four monsters along the way, but that was all. Jane knew in which the direction the main road should be, but she wasn't absolutely sure.

She tried not to get her hopes up in finding her family. She tried to stay realistic; considering the possibility that Boston was still overrun and they couldn't even get into the city. But she couldn't help the images of hugging her family from entering her mind.

Jane never let Maura out of her sight, or even out of her reach. After everything they had been through, their relationship had become even stronger than it already was. Maura felt like a part of Jane, it felt like a piece of her heart was literally walking next to her. And Jane had to protect that part of her heart with everything she had.

"It's going to rain." Maura interrupted her thoughts, intertwining her fingers with Jane's.

"Really? It's been burning hot for days!" Jane said, looking up at the sky. She saw a few clouds, but it didn't look like it was going to rain.

"Yes. The shapes of the clouds are indicating a local storm and insects are flying quite low. Plus, the humidity in the air has increased in the last few hours."

"Okay, doctor." Jane said, smiling at her beautiful wife walking beside her. "Should we find some shelter?"

Maura looked up at the sky, trying to determine when it would start raining. "I'm not sure, how far are we from the main road?"

Jane sighed. "To be honest, I don't know." She said. "A few hours at least."

"If we find a good place, we should stay there. It will be dark soon so we need to spend the night somewhere anyway." Maura reached up to kiss Jane's cheek and kept walking.

The rain started sooner than both of them had anticipated. Thick drops of water dripped down on the two women who increased their pace, hoping it wouldn't be more than a short shower.

When they heard a soft thunder in the distance, Jane felt Maura tense. "We have to find shelter!" The doctor said, her voice barely audible above the sound of rain pouring down.

Jane grabbed Maura's hand even tighter, looking out for anything that could be used as harborage. She felt her clothes sticking to her body, water dripping down. It had been warm during the day, but now that the sun was gone and the day was almost over, she shivered in her cold, clammy clothes.

Suddenly, Jane saw the trees parting, a glance of light coming through. "There! I think that's a road!" She screamed to her wife. Maura's hair stuck to her face, she brushed it out of her eyes, showing concern.

They ran in the direction Jane pointed at. It turned out to be a small private road, leading up to a bigger main road.

"I don't see any houses, do you?" Jane asked while she scanned the area.

"No. We should find a car! There has to be a car somewhere around here!" Maura said loudly while another thunder rattled through the sky.

They followed the road, looking out for anything with a roof. It wasn't the rain that bothered Jane; she saw the concerned look in her wife's eyes. She saw Maura glancing up at the sky every few seconds, indicating that this thunderstorm was getting worse.

Suddenly Jane felt Maura yanking her hand; pointing in the distance. She looked and saw an old RV at the edge of the road. It looked busted and it was probably broken, but it was shelter.

They ran towards the RV and Jane opened the door, helping Maura inside. Once inside, she closed the door and rested her back against it. She felt Maura wrapping her arms around her neck, pulling her close.

"Are we safe in here?" Jane asked softly.

"Safer than in the forest." Maura answered, panting lightly. "If it gets struck by lightning, it will function as Faraday cage; electric charge will be drained by the metal components on the roof."

Jane carefully pulled back to look at the doctor with a slight smile. "Good." She pressed a kiss to Maura's mouth as she went to search the RV.

The interior was old and worn out, but it looked like it had been used recently. The cupboards above the seats were empty, unfortunately. There was a couch behind the driver's seat and a small toilet in the back. Jane plopped down on the couch, guiding Maura to sit next to her. 

"I'm so cold." Maura said as she shivered in her soaked clothes.

Jane kissed her forehead, brushing a strand of wet hair from her cheek. She pulled her closer, trying to give her some warmth, but the detective was shivering herself.

"Let's get out of these wet clothes." Jane said as she stood up to lock the door.

"Jane, I'm sorry, but I don't feel like having sex right now." Maura said, wrapping her arms around herself.

Jane smiled at her wife's incomprehension. "You taught me that you'd stay warmer with direct body contact."

Maura looked up at her wife, understanding what she meant. "Oh, yes. That's true." She smiled as she quickly shed her clothes, spreading them out on the passenger's seat. Jane did the same and sat down next to her wife, left in only her bra and panties and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Maura hummed contently at the close contact, squeezing Jane's back.

"Are you getting warmer?" Jane asked, rubbing Maura's cold skin.

"Hmm, not yet. But it's a good start."

They listened to the sound of heavy rain coming down on the roof of the RV, thunder rolling through the sky. Every now and then the RV light up from the lightning outside.

"I was scared of thunderstorms when I was a kid." Jane said in a husky voice.

Maura lifted her head to look at her wife, not breaking their close embrace. "Really? You? Badass Jane Rizzoli? Afraid of a little thunder?" She asked with a mocking smile.

"I was a kid!"

Maura placed a sweet kiss on the bottom of Jane's jaw. "You still don't like them." She said.

"How do you know I don't like thunderstorms?"

Maura looked into Jane's eyes and brushed her wet hair back. "Because I know you."

Jane smiled as she felt Maura kissing her cheek. "Every time there's a thunderstorm, you get restless and tense. If there's one at night, you snuggle in close and you bury your face in my neck, trying not to hear the thunder." Maura explained in a doctoral way.

Jane blushed, looking down. "Alright you win. But don't tell anyone."

Maura laughed and pressed her lips to Jane's. "Of course not." She kissed her wife, lips bruising together, filled with love and adoration. "I think it's sweet." The blonde said smiling.

"It's not like I'm scared of it or anything!" Jane said, trying to maintain her image. "I just don't like it when the sky is sounding like the world is coming to an end and destroying us all."

"It's simply electric discharge, caused by potential difference and quickly heating air, dilating with a large sound wave."

Jane looked at the doctor with a blank expression, making clear that she wasn't particularly interested in a lecture on thunderstorms. "Thanks." She said sarcastically.

"Besides," Maura said, "the world has come to an end and it's already trying to destroying us all. And it wasn't because of a thunderstorm."

"The world has nothing on us." Jane said with determination. "Nothing can destroy us."

Maura smiled and looked at her wife with utter admiration and nothing but love. "We'll survive this world." She said softly, her voice barely audible above the rain rattling down on the roof.

Jane pulled Maura's lips to hers, trying to express her endless love in a deep kiss. She felt Maura's naked skin against hers, cold hands roaming over her body, warm lips never leaving her own. She felt the love for her wife warming her from the inside, adoration and love filling her heart.

"God I love you so much." Jane panted as they broke the kiss, lungs screaming for air.

Maura smiled and nuzzled her face into Jane's neck. "I love you too Jane."

They let love consume them for a while, simply enjoying the close contact.

"How long do you think the storm will last?" Jane asked as she rubbed Maura's back.

Maura sighed. "Hard to tell. Could be hours. We have to spend the night here, continue in the morning."

"Mkay." Jane mumbled, allowing herself to get lost in the embrace, trying to get her mind off the thunder coming from outside.

"I like thunderstorms." Maura said. Jane felt her wife smiling against her.

"Why?" Jane asked with disbelief.

"I like it when you're like this." Maura smiled adoringly at her detective. "You're adorable." She pulled Jane in for another kiss.

"I'm a little offended because I like badass better than adorable, but I'll take it from you." Jane said, looking into Maura's eyes with love.

They laughed and snuggled comfortably on the old couch, listening to the soothing sounds of rain, Jane flinching with every loud thunder, Maura pulling her closer every time she flinched. Jane liked the thunderstorms better like this.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

They spent the night taking turns sleeping. Maura started with a few hours of sleep, and now Jane had finally fallen asleep, still enveloped in their tight embrace. The thunder had quiet down a bit, making Jane a little more comfortable. It wasn't that her wife was scared, but Maura could sense the uneasiness in Jane's presence. Every time a loud thunder rattled through the sky, the detective would flinch and tense up for a few seconds. Oddly, it only made Maura love the brunette even more.

They sat comfortably on the couch while Jane slept, still in their underwear. The sun started to rise slowly, shining through the trees on the other side of the road. The thunder had stopped and rain dribbled slowly on the roof of the old RV. Maura shivered without clothes, but she didn't want to wake the detective by getting dressed.

She listened to the steady breathing coming from her wife, feeling her now warm skin on hers. She let her thoughts wander and thought about the things they had survived up until now. They had been through hell and back, but at the same time they were incredibly lucky.

Sometimes she felt a sting of pain, caused by the empty space that was left by the people they had lost. She missed Frost, she missed her mother, but surprisingly, she missed Emma the most. She hadn't been able to protect the 15-year old girl and that still hurt her immensely. She missed Emma, she missed her like she missed her own daughter and she missed feeling like a mother to the girl. She thought back to their time with Emma. Having her around the house, talking about anything, consoling her after losing Noah… Life had been incredibly unfair to the young girl and it ended in a horrible, sudden way. She was yanked out of their lives too soon.

"What's wrong, Maur?"

Maura snapped out of her thoughts, feeling the tears that were apparently rolling down her cheeks. She looked at the detective in her embrace.

"Hm?" Maura asked absentmindedly, feeling a little lost.

"You're crying, babe." Jane said, wiping a tear off Maura's cheek.

"I was thinking about Emma." Maura whispered.

Jane shifted in the embrace to fully face her wife. She pressed a soft kiss to Maura's forehead. "I miss her too." Jane said softly. "And Frost. I miss Barry."

Maura just nodded, trying to keep herself from an emotional breakdown. "It's not fair they had to die." She mumbled as Jane pulled her in for another embrace.

"No, it's not." She felt Jane stroking her back. "It's never fair."

Maura sniffled, resting her head on Jane's bare shoulder. She couldn't break down; she had to stay strong to continue their journey.

"We have to get going." Maura said softly, not moving to break their intimate contact. "The sun is up and we need to use as much daylight as we can."

Jane hummed, content with her love in her arms. "The sun will still be up if we wait for a little while."

Maura felt grief slowly replacing with love. The pain still ached in her chest, tying a knot in her stomach, but the love for her wife beamed over it.

"I'm so happy you're in my arms." Maura said lovingly.

"I'm incredibly happy to be in your arms." Jane replied in her soft, raspy voice.

Maura shivered from the cold, nestling closer in her wife's arms.

"You're cold." Jane stated. "We should put on clothes."

"Hm the clothes are probably still damp and I like you better without clothes." Maura smirked, sensually kissing Jane's neck.

Jane took her hands off Maura's waist to take the doctor's head, placing a kiss on her lips. "As much as I want to spend the rest of the day making love to you in this old RV, we really have to go."

Maura smiled as she considered the option of staying here, showing Jane just how much she loved her, but she shed the thought when she heard the rain outside had stopped. She pressed her lips against Jane's and tangled her hands in messy, damp curls. "You're right." She said seductively, her forehead resting against Jane's. "I love you, detective Rizzoli."

Jane moaned, closing her eyes. "If you call me that I certainly won't be able to keep my hands off you."

"Maybe I don't want you to." Maura purred, pulling Jane in for a sensual kiss, grazing her tongue along her wife's bottom lips. Jane gratefully granted access, deepening the kiss and moaning slightly. Maura felt butterflies in her stomach as she enjoyed the feeling of Jane's soft tongue, squeezing Jane's back.

Carefully she broke the kiss, trying to contain the arousal she felt building up. "We have to put on clothes right now or else I'm never coming out of this RV." She smiled as she softly broke the embrace, placing a last quick kiss on her wife's lips.

Jane groaned as Maura stood up to retrieve their clothes from the front seats. "You're such a tease." The brunette whined.

Maura threw her wife's still damp clothes on Jane's lap. "You love me though."

"Yes I do." Jane replied while she started putting on her clothes.

Maura felt put on her own pants and shirt and shivered in the cold and damp clothing. "Honey, do you think this thing still works?" She asked her wife.

"I don't think so, but I'll check it anyway." Jane sat in the driver's seat, turning the key that was still in the ignition. The vehicle sputtered, but didn't start. "Yeah, I figured." Jane mumbled.

Maura sighed, grabbed their bag with supplies and opened the door for Jane to check the engine. As soon as she stepped outside, she heard the sound of multiple snarling walkers heading towards them. She stiffened immediately, grabbing her knife out of her damp jeans, ready to take them.

"Jane!" She yelled, causing her wife to storm outside, running towards the walkers and slamming her knife into the skulls of any monster that came her way. Maura did the same, rushed by adrenaline and fear. She was so focused on killing the monsters that she didn't see her wife getting knocked down by a large walker. She was so focused in keeping herself alive that she only heard Jane screaming for help after a few seconds.

"Maura! Maura!" Jane screamed, trying to push the heavy monster off of her.

Finally the screams came through to Maura and she rushed towards her wife, slamming her knife into the monster's skull. The monster landed on top of Jane, pressing all the air out of Jane's lungs. Maura pulled it off as Jane rolled away, wrapping Maura in her arms.

"Are you okay?" Maura asked, examining her wife's body for bites or scratches.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Didn't get me." Jane panted. Maura saw her eyes widen as she looked in the distance. "Shit." Jane cursed.

"What?"

"There's more. We have to get out of here!" Jane quickly got up and grabbed Maura's arm.

Maura looked into the forest and saw dozens of walkers coming out from behind the trees. She ran along side of her wife, headed for the main road. She felt the herd coming closer, she felt fear creeping up, making her stomach tie in a knot.

They finally reached the main road and saw dozens of empty cars like they were in a traffic jam. Maura looked back over her shoulder and saw the herd approaching quickly. She stabbed a walker that was getting too close, feeling cold blood streaming down her right arm.

Jane ran towards a random car, yanked open the door and saw the keys in the ignition. She turned them and the engine started. "Get in here!"

Maura pulled her knife out of another monster's skull and ran towards the car, jumping in the passenger's seat.

Jane took off quickly, leaving skid marks on the asphalt. She slalomed through the cars, shaking off the herd that was fortunately giving up quickly. Maura felt the tight grip of fear letting go as tears of relief started streaming down her face.

She felt Jane's hand grabbing her upper leg, squeezing lightly. "We're okay, Maur. We shook them off."

Maura just nodded as a sob escaped. She wasn't able to control her emotions. She put her hand over her mouth, trying to contain her sobs. Jane carefully stopped the car and reached over to wrap her wife up in her arms, softly rubbing her back.

"We're alright, honey." She whispered soothingly.

Maura regulated her breathing and soaked in her lover's scent. "Why does this always happen?" She asked softly.

Jane sighed. "I don't know."

Maura smiled through her tears and pulled back, looking into Jane's eyes. She cupped Jane's face and pressed a sweet kiss to her mouth. "This world's got nothing on us." She repeated her wife's words from earlier.

Jane smiled and pulled back to start the car again. "I love you." She said as she checked the controls. "It doesn't have much gas left."

"Should we check the other cars? Tap more gas from them?" Maura suggested.

Jane checked the rearview mirror, making sure the herd was far enough to give them time to search through the other cars. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

They ended up searching through a lot of cars, finding jerry cans and equipment to tap off gas. Maura found a few cans of food in different cars, loading them into the grey Toyota they took.

Maura calculated they should have enough supplies to get them through the journey to Boston. She finished a while before Jane and leaned back against the side of the car, watching her wife work.

Jane felt the doctor looking at her. "Like what you're seeing?" She smirked.

"Definitely." Maura answered with a smile.

Jane walked over to their car, placing another jerry can in the trunk before walking over to her wife and wrapping her arms around her.

"You're stunning. I love you, Jane."

Jane blushed slightly, causing Maura to smile and kiss her cheek.

"I love you too, Maur." Jane pulled her wife close to her and sighed contently. "We have to go now."

Maura kissed Jane's jaw and got into the car while Jane sat behind the wheel. They started driving down the road, heading towards the cities in front of them, mentally preparing themselves for a long road trip.

The doctor had no idea what to expect in Boston; but she knew her wife needed to go. She knew her wife needed to check the city, even though the chance of finding her family was small. But Maura hadn't given up hope. She prayed to find the Rizzoli family in Boston and she prayed that they would be alive and well. As long as there was still a chance of finding them, neither Jane nor Maura would ever give up the search.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Jane had been driving for hours, hopefully in the right direction, but she wasn't absolutely sure. She felt exhaustion trying to take over her body, making her mind foggy and her muscles sore. She had trouble keeping her eyes open as she squint into the sunlight.

Maura's hand was resting on Jane's upper leg, her head rested against the back of the passenger's seat. The doctor's eyes were closed in exhaustion. The hand on her leg offered Jane comfort and peace. They had experienced yet another close call, walking into a group of walkers on the highway. It was Maura who saved her life, again. Jane wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for the blonde sitting next to her.

"Jane!"

Jane snapped out of her thoughts, noticing she almost drove off the highway while she was lost in thoughts and consumed by her tiredness. She quickly turned the wheel, moving back in the right direction.

"Sorry." She said still absentmindedly.

"You're exhausted. Let me drive, Jane." Maura offered, squeezing her wife's leg.

"No, I'm fine. I can go for a few more miles." Jane knew she was too tired, but she wanted Maura to get as much rest as possible. The detective would gladly push herself to her limit if it offered her wife a few moments of peace.

"Jane, research has proven it is not healthy to drive for more than three hours consecutively. You can easily get us in an accident if you keep on driving in this state."

Jane sighed. "I'm fine, Maur. Just try to get some sleep, I'll wake you when I want to switch."

"Jane Rizzoli, stop the car." Maura said determined but kindly.

Jane looked over to her wife and saw determination and love in the doctor's eyes. She stopped the car, not bothering to drive to the side of the road since there was no one to be seen for miles.

Jane unbuckled her seatbelt and rested her head on her hands on the steering wheel. "I didn't know it was possible to be this tired."

She felt warm hands massaging her back and shoulders. "I know, my love." Maura said softly. Jane hummed happily as skilled and strong hands rubbed her sore muscles.

"Okay you can drive." Jane said, reluctant to interrupt the delicious massage she was currently receiving.

"Good." Maura smiled and placed a kiss on Jane's temple, brushing her messy curls back.

Jane got out of the car, stretched her aching muscles and took Maura's seat while the doctor moved over to drive.

Jane placed her hand on Maura's upper leg, the same spot where Maura had rested her hand a few minutes earlier on her own leg. She squeezed as she felt Maura reaching down to hold it. "Shouldn't you have two hands on the wheel?" Jane asked mockingly.

Maura laughed and tried to pull her hand away but Jane stopped her, holding her hand tightly. "No, that was a joke. I like it better this way."

"That's what I thought." Maura brought Jane's hand up to kiss it softly.

Jane looked adoringly at her beautiful wife, watching her focusing on the road in front of them. She admired the soft blond hair, falling down smoothly in flattened curls. She looked absolutely stunning in an old, blood stained blue shirt and worn-out jeans.

"You're staring." Maura said, the corners of her mouth curling up in a slight smile.

"Can't help it when the most gorgeous woman in the world is sitting next to me."

"Stop it." Maura softly swatted her wife's leg but smiled at Jane's sweet words.

They drove for hours before they saw the skyline of a big city in the distance. "Jane," Maura sweetly tugged Jane's arm, who had closed her eyes and drifted off for a while, "we're here."

Jane looked through the window and saw the familiar sight of her city. She sighed in relief. "Should we drive a little further? Or continue on foot so we're quieter?" Jane asked, mostly to herself.

"We don't have any fire power. We have better chances if we continue by car."

Jane nodded, knowing her wife was right. She felt unsafe and more insecure without her gun. They just had some small knifes, which would help them out if necessary, but it wasn't really enough.

"Maybe we should try to get into a high building just outside the city? That way we can oversee Boston from a high floor." Jane suggested softly.

"That's a good idea." Maura answered, taking Jane's hand again.

Jane felt nerves in her stomach. If Boston was indeed still overrun, that was it. She had no idea where else to search. She didn't want to think about what would happen if they didn't find her family here.

Maura stopped the car in front of what looked like an old bank office. It looked empty, but they were still extremely careful when they walked in. They took the stairs and noticed the first floor was completely overrun.

Jane saw her wife looking at her with wide eyes. "Should we leave?" Maura whispered, listening to the snarling sounds coming from behind the door of the stairwell.

"No, we can pass if we're quiet."

They sneaked past the door, taking the stairs up to the second and third floor, eventually heading to the roof of the building.

Both Jane and Maura were panting once they finally reached the door leading to the roof. Jane led the way, anxious for what she would see. She took Maura's hand in her own, squeezing lightly before she suddenly stopped walking.

She felt her wife's arms wrapping around her waist. "I understand, my love." The doctor whispered softly.

Jane didn't need to explain. Maura knew the pressure was building too quickly. Whatever they would see from the top of that building, it would decide their lives from that moment on.

Jane gratefully accepted the embrace, nestling her face in Maura's neck.

"I love you." Jane mumbled.

Maura placed a soft kiss on the top of Jane's head. "I love you too, sweetheart."

Jane braced herself and walked over to the edge of the roof. She could see Boston in the distance; she saw the buildings and streets that were once her home.

She sighed in relief, wrapping an arm around her wife standing next to her. The center of the city was still overrun by a big herd, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the last time they saw it.

"I think we can try to get in." Jane said softly.

"Yes, I think so too." Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's waist. "Where should we start?"

Jane thought for a moment. Her own house was probably not an option and to reach Maura's house, they would have to conquer the herd since it was blocking the way.

"BPD?" She suggested.

Maura nodded, knowing that would be a good start. They headed back downstairs, careful not to startle the herd on the first floor, getting out of the back entrance. Jane drove the car into the city, careful for the nightmares they might encounter on. There were a few monsters, mostly on the side of the road but they were easy to avoid.

Once they reached the BPD building, Jane stopped the car and took a deep breath. "Ready?" She looked at Maura next to her, seeing she was just as tense and anxious as Jane herself.

"Ready." Maura smiled at the detective, placing a sweet kiss on the corner of her mouth.

The two women slowly entered the building, knifes ready to defend themselves. The first floor was completely empty. They took the stairs up to the floor where the detective offices were located.

Jane motioned Maura to stop as she listened carefully at the door. She heard the moaning sounds of a few walkers, but it was definitely not a big herd.

"There are some of them in there but I think we can take them. Doesn't sound like a big group." Jane whispered barely audible to the doctor behind her.

Maura nodded, following Jane as she softly opened the door and looked around. She saw four, maybe five monsters and stabbed her knife into their skulls. She inspected the offices on the left while Maura checked the offices on the right.

"Clear!" Jane said when she finished. When she didn't hear her wife reply, she rushed to the other part of the floor, worried that something might be wrong.

"Maura?" She started panicking. "Maur, where are you? Are you okay?"

She looked into all the empty offices before she heard the soft voice of her wife calling her, filled with tears.

"Jane? You have to see something." Maura came out of an interrogation room, a bloody knife in her hand and tears streaming down her face. She grabbed the detective's hand and softly led her into the room.

"What's wrong? Did they get you? Are you hurt?"

"They didn't get me." Maura said softly as the entered the plain room. Jane looked around and saw a monster lying on the ground, clearly killed by Maura's knife. It was lying with his back to the two women.

"What is it?" Jane asked panicked, still not understanding what happened.

Maura softly led Jane around the table, in front of the walker she had killed. When Jane saw its face, she collapsed on the floor, feeling like all the life was flowing out of her body, her heart breaking in a million pieces.

There, on the floor, was her brother, turned into a monster and killed with Maura's knife. Loud sobs escaped her body as she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep herself from falling apart. It didn't help. Tears streamed down her face. She sobbed, cried and whimpered in pain.

She got up, feeling immense anger take over. She kicked down a chair, banging her fists against the wall. "No!" She screamed, her voice breaking. "NO!" She felt her hands tearing open, blood coming out and staining the wall she was beating. She didn't care. She didn't feel the pain. The only pain she felt was the endless pain that settled in her heart.

Maura softly walked over and placed a warm hand on Jane's lower back. Jane calmed down a bit as Maura enveloped her in her arms, her own tears still falling. "I'm so sorry, my love."

"Frankie…" Jane whimpered.

"I know." Maura whispered as she stroked her wife's curls. "I know, my love."

Jane fell into the welcoming arms of the doctor, soaking her shirt with tears. The anger faded away and made place for an overwhelming pain. She allowed the pain to break her, falling apart in grief, sadness and a strong sense of loss.

She couldn't look at the walker who used to be her brother. There was nothing left of him. Frankie had turned into a walker, his eyes wide and dead, his skin pale and wounded. Her brother had been dead for a long time.

The only thing that kept the detective from giving up were the strong arms wrapped around her and the loving, soothing words and tears coming from her wife.

"It's not fair." The brunette choked out.

"It's never fair, sweetheart." Maura whispered back. "It never is."

_A/N Please don't hate me! Also, I don't really know how the topography of Boston or BPD works, so I apologize if I got any of that wrong. I also apologize for any other mistakes; English is not my native language. I think I'm working towards an ending. _

_Please let me know what you think! _


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Maura held her sobbing wife close to her chest for a long time. She had taken the detective out of the interrogation room where her brother was and they were sitting on the floor in the hallway, resting her back against the wall while Jane's trembling arms were clinging around her waist.

Their tears kept coming; they never seemed to end. Silent tears kept falling down Maura's cheeks as Jane continued to cry against her chest.

Jane slowly lifted her head off her wife's chest while Maura reached up to wipe her wife's wet cheeks. The detective did the same, bringing her shaking hands to Maura's cheek and wiping the tears.

The doctor searched for words to soothe her aching wife but she didn't find any. For once, she had no idea what to say.

"I love you, Jane." She said in a trembling voice after pressing her lips against Jane's forehead. "I don't know what to say."

Jane sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Love you too." She whispered, unable to find any other words. Another sob escaped her body as she let herself fall into her wife's embrace again. "I can't believe he's gone."

Maura smoothed her wife's messy curls and felt tears rolling down her cheeks again.

"I can't believe I didn't go looking for them earlier."

The doctor felt a sting of pain in her chest. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this, Jane." She said through her tears. "Frankie's been gone for a long time. His nightmare is over now. He's in a better place." Maura stroked her wife's back, speaking in a low, soothing voice. "You're so brave, Jane. You're so strong, so brave. You have done everything you can."

"Wasn't enough," Jane mumbled, "it's never enough."

"Yes it was, Jane. You have done everything. This was not your fault in any way." Maura lifted her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes, but they just kept falling. "You're more than enough, Jane." She sniffled and kissed her wife's curls. "I love you so much."

They sat on the ground for a long time until they felt their tears drying, stinging pain fading into a dull ache. Maura held her wife close to her chest, soaking up her tears, never stopping the loving strokes on Jane's back.

Jane turned her head to Maura's shoulder, looking into the office where she used to work. Maura rested her cheek on top of Jane's head, stroking the hair back that stuck to her wife's cheek.

"He made it back to Boston." Jane said softly.

"Yes, he did." Maura replied.

Angela, Frankie and TJ had most likely been in the same camp as Emma and Noah before bad people attacked it. At least Frankie had made it back to Boston. Maura knew Frankie would have done everything in his power to protect Angela and TJ. If they were alive, Frankie would have taken them with him.

Maura also knew the chances of surviving were significantly smaller if it was just Angela and TJ. She knew Jane knew these things too, she knew it had crossed her wife's mind multiple times by now.

"I don't understand how it happened." Jane said in a husky voice. "We could easily take out the walkers on this floor. Why couldn't he? How did they get to him?"

"We don't know for sure if he was bitten here. He could have gotten scratched or bitten somewhere else and came in here for shelter. Or he thought he cleared everything out, but he missed something. We really can't determine what happened."

"You're guessing." Jane smirked through her tears.

"No, I'm theorizing. That's different." Maura said, relieved to hear Jane being Jane again.

"Hmhm." Jane hummed sarcastically. "We need to search the rest of the building." Jane said while she dried her tears again.

Maura sighed. "Yes, we do." She cupped her wife's head, urging Jane to look at her. She softly kissed the detective's lips, tasting the salty tears that wouldn't stop falling. "But we're in no condition to take on walkers right now."

"What if ma is here somewhere?" Jane asked hesitantly.

"Frankie got bit here, most likely on this floor. If they were still together, your mother would have probably fled from the building."

"I still want to check the other floors." Jane whispered.

Maura stroked her wife's cheek. "I know, sweetheart."

They sat quietly for a while, letting their tears dry in a close embrace. When Maura was sure Jane had calmed down enough to think and act clearly, they decided to check out the other floors.

Maura stood up and offered Jane her hand, pulling her to her feet. She wrapped her arms around her wife's waist after placing a deep kiss on her lips. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked softly.

Jane nodded, her eyes red and swollen. "Are you okay?"

Maura nodded too, kissing her wife again before walking to the stairwell. She carefully opened the door and went upstairs, making sure to be quiet.

They inspected the other floors; they were empty besides a few monsters that could be killed quite easily. Jane and Maura didn't recognize any of them, they weren't in police uniforms and it didn't seem like they worked at BPD.

Jane inspected every inch of every floor, making absolutely sure she had checked everything.

"There's no one here, Jane." Maura said while she watched her wife search through the same office for the third time.

Jane sighed. "I know."

"We haven't checked the morgue yet."

"We should." Jane led the way to the stairwell, back downstairs.

Walking into the morgue was a weird experience for Maura. Her office looked strange, like it wasn't her office anymore. It still looked intact; everything was in place. But it didn't feel the same.

Maura walked through her office and followed Jane to the morgue. The drawers and cabinets were emptied, completely torn apart by people who were probably looking for weapons. She couldn't blame them. Scalpels were probably fine for taking down walkers. They had checked all the other floors for guns, but they found none. They were probably taken too.

While Maura was still anticipating her mixed feelings, Jane was frantically searching every corner and possible hiding places.

"There's no one here." Jane whispered after a while, barely audible from the other side of the morgue.

She walked over to Maura's office and let herself fall on the couch, burying her head in her hands. The doctor walked to her wife and wrapped the detective in her arms.

"A part of me knew they weren't alive. But I wasn't prepared to actually see it. I was still hoping for a miracle." Jane said softly. "Stupid."

"That's not stupid." Maura tucked a strand of loose hair behind Jane's ear. "It's never stupid to have hope."

Jane shrugged, her face still hidden in her hands. "Maybe not. But it's disappointing. I don't like to get disappointed."

"I know, my love." Maura pressed her lips to Jane's temple, letting her soft kiss linger for a moment.

Jane lowered her hands and looked at her wife. "I like it when you call me that." She said, showing a slight smile through her pain.

Maura smiled back, kissing Jane fully on her mouth this time. "I love you so much, sweetheart." She whispered as she pulled back and cupped her wife's face. "So, so much. And I'm so sorry he's gone."

Jane averted her gaze to her hands in her lap. "Me too." She whispered.

Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's neck and pressed her lips against the doctor's, tears mixing together.

"I want to stop crying now." Jane said as she broke the kiss.

Maura smiled slightly, wiping Jane's tears. "Where should we go?" She asked softly.

Jane released a shuttering breath. "I want to get out of here."

"Me too." Maura gave Jane one last kiss before she helped her wife up and walked out of her office, heading outside.

They sat back in their car, grateful that nothing happened to it while they were gone. Maura sat behind the wheel. "It's getting dark." She stated while she looked up to the sky.

"Unless we want to spend the night in the car, we should find a place for the night." Jane replied, lost in thought.

"Maybe we can try the Boston Homeless Shelter? It's not far from here. Perhaps there are more people there." Maura suggested as she started the engine.

"Yeah, we can check it out."

Maura turned the car and headed towards the homeless shelter. They were quiet, Maura focusing on the road, Jane looking outside, lost in thought.

The outside of the shelter seemed empty. Maura parked the car a few blocks away, not knowing if there would be people inside. She felt uneasy without firepower. Jane grabbed their bag of supplies out of the back of the car and they walked to the shelter.

Jane used her detective skills to quietly enter the building, cautious for possible danger. Once the entrance hall was inspected and empty, they walked into the large room filled with beds. It seemed completely empty, but they searched it anyway.

"This side is clear." Maura said softly, looking at Jane who was searching the other side of the room.

"This side too. I think there's a kitchen back there." Jane pointed to a door at the back of the room. The kitchen appeared to be empty too. All the cabinets were empty, torn apart by people looking for food, probably.

"It looks like there used to be people hiding in here." Jane said, frowning her eyebrows while she looked around.

"Yes, I think so too. It's a good place to hide. It's quite secure, it has beds and it probably used to have quite some food."

"Well, not anymore." Jane sighed deeply and walked back to the big room, shortly followed by her wife.

The brunette sat down on one of the beds with her back to the kitchen, her shoulders falling. "I'm losing hope, Maur." She said softly.

Maura sat down next to her wife, kissing her temple. She had always been the one to be positive, to keep hoping. But she felt the same thing as her wife. Losing Frankie felt like losing hope.

"Me too." Maura whispered, wrapping her arms around Jane. "But it's still there, Jane. There's still hope. They could have made it. Tommy, your mom, TJ, my parents, Cailin, Korsak… They could have survived." She lifted her hand to stroke the detective's cheek. "It's not all lost yet."

Jane turned to bury her head in the crook of Maura's neck. "I'm so happy you're with me." She mumbled softly.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Maura said while she kissed her wife's messy curls and stroked her back.

After enjoying the embrace for a moment, Jane lifted her head to look at the doctor. Maura saw immense pain in her wife's eyes, but the tears had finally stopped. She cupped her lover's face, stroking her cheeks with her thumbs.

Just when she started to express her never-ending love for the brunette, the sound of a door opening and soft footsteps coming from the kitchen startled them. Jane immediately shot up, turned around, her knife ready to attack.

Maura didn't see what was happening at first, since Jane got up so quickly. She just heard her wife gasping before she heard a soft voice say:

"Janie?!"


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

"Ma?!" Jane looked at the woman standing in front of her who was holding a small child. She couldn't believe her eyes. Right there, a few feet away from her was her own mother, alive and well. She ran towards Angela and wrapped her arms around her, desperately clinging to her mother.

She felt tears starting to stream down her face when her mother's hand softly caressed her cheek. "I can't believe what I'm seeing." Angela whispered.

Jane let out a laughing sob. "Mom. You- you're here." She stuttered. Jane turned to the child in Angela's arms, kissing his cheek. "Hey little boy." She smiled at TJ as her mother put him in Jane's arms to wrap Maura in a close hug.

"Hi Angela." Maura said softly when she clung to her now mother-in-law.

Jane looked at her mother and her wife, wrapped up in a tight embrace. Her mother didn't look good. She had lost an awful lot of weight; she hard dark circles under her eyes and Jane could tell her legs were shaking. She looked at the boy in her arms, almost three years old by now. He looked at her with big eyes. She caressed the small boy's cheek, smiling at her nephew.

"Hi, TJ." She whispered, feeling intense gratefulness. She wasn't sure if he recognized her. He was still so young and he hadn't seen her in a very long time.

Jane felt a warm hand on her lower back. She turned her head and saw Angela looking at her with loving eyes. "Do you remember aunty Jane? TJ? You remember her?" She asked the small boy.

"Aunty Jane." TJ repeated.

"Young children can easily forget people if they haven't seem them in a long time." Maura explained as she walked up to the three of them. The doctor placed a soft kiss on TJ's head before reaching up to quickly kiss Jane's lips.

"C'mon mom, sit down." Jane guided her mother to sit down on one of the beds while she herself sat on a bed opposite of her mother.

"Where were you?" Maura asked, sitting next to Jane. "We searched everything, we didn't see you."

"When I heard someone coming in, we hid in the large fridge in the back." Angela explained.

"Can't believe we didn't check that." Jane said, mentally kicking herself.

They let a short silence fall. There was so much to say yet Jane didn't know where to start. She still couldn't believe her mother was sitting on a bed in front of her, her nephew in Jane's lap, quietly playing with her car keys. Maybe it was a dream.

"Is it just you and TJ?" Maura asked carefully.

Angela averted her gaze, fumbling with her hands. "Yeah. We were with Frankie. But he…" She stopped talking, choking on tears.

"I know." Jane whispered, moving TJ to Maura's lap and grabbing her mother's hand. "We saw him at BPD."

"Oh Janie, I'm so sorry you had to see that."

"It's okay." She shrugged. "How long…-" She hesitated, not wanting her mother to relive her nightmare.

"Eight days." Angela answered, immediately knowing what her daughter was trying to ask.

"You've been in here with TJ for eight days?" Maura asked, smoothing TJ's thin hair.

"Yeah. What choice did I have? There was some food, a little water… We were fine."

"You look exhausted, mom." Jane said in a husky voice.

Angela shrugged, looking at her daughter with watery eyes. "I couldn't go to sleep. I couldn't close my eyes. I had to protect my grandson."

"You did, ma." Jane softly massaged her mother's hands. "You did."

"I did the best I could." Angela said softly.

"Mom…" Jane started, "do you know what happened to the rest? Tommy? Pop?"

Jane saw tears forming in her mother's eyes. "I don't know." She whispered.

Angela continued to explain what happened. She had been with Korsak and Frankie. Korsak got bitten before they even got to the camp. They had to leave him behind on the road, on his own request actually. Angela, Frankie and TJ were in the camp where they met Emma and Noah, but then it got attacked. Frankie got them out and brought them back to Boston. It had been a long and hard trip, and when they finally made it, Frankie got attacked by a walker just outside of the city. He was able to get them back into BPD, but it was too late. He turned and Angela fled to the homeless shelter.

A long silence fell after Angela finished her story.

"I'm really proud of you, ma." Jane said, softly interrupting the silence.

"I'm proud of you, Jane. And Maura. I'm proud of you too." The older woman smiled at her daughters sitting in front of her. "I was so worried about you two. Where have you been?"

Jane sighed. "Everywhere, pretty much." She didn't know where to begin to explain their journey. She didn't even know exactly where they had been. She couldn't bear to tell her mother about the farm, about the prison or about Frost and Emma.

"It's late. You should get some sleep." Jane said to her mother. "We'll be on the look out."

Jane saw her mother was trying to find a protest, but the exhaustion took over.

"I don't know…" Angela said.

"Please, Angela. You're exhausted. Get some sleep, we'll talk in the morning." Maura urged the older woman.

"We'll be here, mom." Jane assured her.

Angela smiled at the two women and got up to wrap them both in a close hug. "Can I take TJ?" She asked, holding out her arms to grab the small boy. "He's been sleeping in my arms every night."

"Of course." Maura smiled and kissed TJ's cheek before handing him over. Angela laid down two beds away from Jane and Maura, letting her body relax for the first time in a long time.

Jane saw her mother's eyes closing and her face relaxing. She felt her wife's arm wrapping around her shoulders as she watched her mother falling asleep.

"I can't believe we found her." Jane whispered.

Maura kissed her wife's temple. "But we did."

Jane smiled when she looked at her wife, seeing a mix of happiness and pain in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Maura, burying her face in the crook of her wife's neck. "I don't know how to feel." She mumbled.

Mixed feelings overwhelmed her. The pain of losing her brother was still aching her heart, but the happiness of finding her mother slowly peaked through. She felt the pain of not knowing what happened to Tommy and her father, and the pain of Korsak's death. But all of that was framed by the endless love for her wife.

"You don't have to know." Maura cupped Jane's head to kiss her forehead. "I don't know either." She sweetly kissed Jane's lips. "I feel so happy to have found Angela. And I still feel so happy to have you in my arms." She softly wiped a tear that started trickling down Jane's cheek. "But I know it hurts. Not knowing what happed to Tommy and your father. Knowing Korsak didn't make it." Maura smiled while tears shimmered in here eyes. "It hurts."

Jane just nodded, not being able to find any words. She wrapped Maura in her arms, clinging tightly to the love of her life.

"Do you think we can take them back to the farm?" Jane suggested; referring to the farm they had stayed with Emma. It was the only place that wasn't haunted with pain and losses. They had to leave the farm to bring Emma to Atlanta, but as far as they knew it was still secure.

"Maybe." Maura thought about it, weighing the options. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Jane felt her wife pressing her lips against her forehead. "Get some sleep, my love."

The detective shook her head, not wanting to let down her guard while the most important people in her life were finally within her reach.

"I'll stay awake and wake you in a few hours." Maura said softly while she stroked the detective's dark curls. "This building is secure. All the emotions have exhausted you today, Jane. Just close your eyes. I'll be here, sweetheart."

Jane felt tears dripping from her eyes. Maura was right, she felt exhausted. Not physically, but she was emotionally exhausted. She let Maura guide her down to rest her head in the doctor's lap. Soft, skilled hands caressed her hair, smoothing down messy curls. Jane felt warm lips pressing against her forehead as she closed her eyes.

"I love you, Maur." She whispered as she nestled more closely into her wife's lap. "I really love you a lot."

Jane felt Maura relax beneath her, still lovingly stroking her forehead. "I love you too, Jane."

Jane didn't know where to go next, but she was endlessly thankful. Her mother was sleeping a few feet away from her, with her nephew in her arms while the detective herself was lying in the lap of the woman she loved most in the entire world. Life might have turned into a nightmare, but her nightmare was bearable with these people along side of her. They made every nightmare better.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

"It's been hard on us, especially for Maura. She loved Emma. She doesn't realize it, but she's a great mother."

"I know she is. I've always seen it."

"She's so caring, ma. She takes such good care of everyone in her life."

Maura listened to Jane and Angela whispering, her head resting in her wife's lap. Her eyes were closed and Jane probably assumed she was still sleeping.

"Y'know we sort of got married." Maura heard her wife say in her soft, husky voice.

"And I wasn't invited?"

She felt her wife softly laugh beneath her. "Yes you were; you just didn't show up."

"Yeah, sure." Angela chuckled softly.

Strong, rough hands softly caressed Maura's hair. "We can't get married officially or anything but I just… I know I want to spend the rest of my life with her." Jane spoke softly, careful not to wake her wife and slightly uncomfortable sharing these deep feelings. Maura tried her best not to smile and to keep her tears at bay, wanting to catch the rest of this conversation.

"I've never seen you like this before, Janie. I can tell you love her a lot."

Jane shrugged carefully. "I've never felt like this before. I love her more than life itself."

Maura felt her heart swell with love. Hearing her wife saying these words made her love the brunette more and more every second.

"She feels the same way, you know. It's obvious."

Jane sighed. "I hope so."

"She does."

"I don't know what I'd do without her, ma."

"You don't have to find out, she's right there isn't she? And as far as I can tell, she's not going anywhere."

"I'm so afraid of losing her." Jane's voice was barely audible, turning into a soft whisper.

"Fear comes with this world. We're all afraid. You just have to find the hope, the strength and the love to keep going, to hold on. It'll be worth it in the end."

Maura had always been impressed with Angela's wisdom, but she still got amazed by how well she knew her daughter and how the older woman knew exactly what to say to comfort Jane.

"I just want to make her happy." Jane replied softly.

"I think you're already making her happy. Even if this world is making it seem like we'll never feel truly happy again."

A long silence fell while Jane kept carefully stroking her wife's hair. Maura enjoyed the touch, relaxing in her lover's lap. After a while, she slowly opened her eyes, looking up into loving, dark eyes.

"Good morning." Jane whispered as she smiled.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Maura sat up to kiss her wife. She tried to pour all her love in a long, deep kiss.

Jane hummed contently as they broke the kiss. "What was that for?"

Maura shrugged, smiling at the sparkle in the detective's eyes. "Because I love you. And you make me happy. And I love you just as much as you love me. Maybe even more."

Jane averted her gaze, the corners of her mouths slightly curling up in a loving smile. "I'm losing my detective skills. I didn't even notice you were awake."

Maura laughed, kissing the smile she loved so much. After breaking the kiss, she turned to look at Angela who was helping TJ eating some beans.

"Did you sleep well, Angela?" Maura asked.

"Yes I did. TJ woke me up a little early though." Angela playfully tickled the boy, causing him to giggle.

TJ offered his grandmother a spoonful of beans, spilling some on his shirt. "Gramma beans?" She asked.

Angela smiled. "No darling, you eat them." She turned to her girls, gratefulness showing in her eyes. "What are we going to do?"

Maura looked at her wife and sighed deeply, remembering their short conversation about the farm last night.

"We stayed at a farm for a while." Jane said. "It's a pretty long drive, but it's a big farm and it's secure. It had a well full of water and quite some food. It's a beautiful farm, quiet, peaceful…"

"Is it still safe?" Angela asked.

"I think so. When we drove up there, we didn't see a walker or a person for miles. Same when we left to Atlanta." Jane replied.

"Atlanta?" Angela looked confused. Apparently Jane hadn't told her everything that happened yet.

Maura looked at Jane, who sighed deeply. The brunette put an arm around Maura's shoulders. "Emma got sick from drinking contaminated water. We knew there might be medical care in Atlanta, but we didn't make it in time." Jane said softly, wiping a tear from her wife's cheek.

"I'm so sorry." Angela said softly.

Maura felt her wife's lips pressing against her temple. "It's okay. It's better this way. She was too sweet, too fragile for this world." Maura said softly.

They were quiet for a moment while they watched TJ spoon beans out of a plastic bowl.

"So, the farm?" Jane suggested, raising her eyebrows.

"Anything sounds better than this place right now." Angela smiled and stood up to clear away the now empty bowl. She placed TJ on the bed and walked to the kitchen.

Maura weighed the options again. She liked the farm. It had been nice and quiet. They had to go for a supply run to gather enough food first, but they had plenty of water in the well (if it was boiled first at least). It was secure and free from monsters. There was a chance it was taken by other people, but she knew that wasn't likely.

"You know that limits the chances of finding your father and Tommy?" Maura said softly to her wife as she put a strand of loose hair behind Jane's ear.

Jane sighed and looked at the doctor with sad eyes. "Yeah. I know." She paused for a moment, looking at her mother who came back from the kitchen. "But I have no clue where to start and I can't put everyone in danger by looking for them." She rested her head on top of TJ's thin blonde hair.

Maura kissed the brunette's cheek. "The farm." She stated.

They left the building and went for a short supply run throughout Boston. They searched houses and offices, finding some food and drinks. Jane particularly was very excited about finding a few bottles of Pepsi with an acceptable expiration date. Once they made sure they had enough supplies to last for a while, they headed back to the car.

"Hey, look what I found." The doctor heard her wife call her and looked around, seeing her wife carrying a few cans of spray paint. "I have an idea. I don't know exactly where the farm is, but I know it's in that direction." Jane pointed to her left, to the road that would lead them out of Boston. "Maybe dad and Tommy will come back to Boston, maybe they're already here. What if we leave a message for them? Telling them to come to the farm? If they go in or out of Boston, they have to take this road. All the other roads are overrun."

"I don't know, Jane. We don't want unfriendly visitors." Maura said, hesitant about the idea.

"We're not giving them directions or anything. It has to be some kind of cryptically."

"Yeah," Angela agreed, "we can tell them to go towards your grandmother's old house. She lived just outside of the city in that direction. Nobody else will understand."

"Yeah, Yeah! Good idea mom." Jane smiled at her mother and placed a grateful kiss on Angela's cheek.

She ran towards a wall next to the street leading out of the city and started spraying.

'_Frank and Tommy R., follow the direction of Grandma's old house. We'll be at the farm. Please come. Angela, TJ, Jane and Maura.' _

"If they're alive, they'll come look for us." Jane said while she walked back to the car.

Maura reached up to sweetly kiss Jane's temple. "They'll find us." She said softly.

Jane sighed deeply. "Are we ready to go?"

Angela and Maura nodded and got in the car, letting Jane drive them out of the city.

Angela and TJ were in the backseat, Maura in the passenger's seat, her hand resting on the familiar spot on Jane's upper leg.

Jane moved her gaze from the road to her wife's eyes, giving her a loving and hopeful smile. Maura squeezed the brunette's leg, smiling as she felt tears burning in her eyes. With Angela and TJ in the backseat and the love of her life behind the wheel, she actually felt happy again. She hoped for a quiet and peaceful time at the farm and she hoped her share of pain in this world was over now.

_A/N I'm working towards an ending of this story! I think there will be one more chapter (maybe two), and then it'll be finished. I can't thank you all enough for your kind words, feedback and support! I have another fanfic in the pipeline; I hope to see you there! :D _


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Jane stood in the doorway while she watched TJ play with some old blocks. She heard Angela working in the kitchen, trying to make a proper meal out of canned food. It was raining outside, which was good because it would fill the well in the backyard and water their small kitchen garden. Jane listened to the raindrops trickling down on the roof of the farm and smiled.

Life had been quiet and peaceful for almost two months now. TJ was cheerful and healthy; Angela was getting her strength back and Maura looked happier than she had in a long time.

There had been no sign of the rest of Jane or Maura's family. Maura's adoptive parents were most likely still in Europe and Jane had no idea where her father and Tommy could be. It hurt; it felt like a hole in her chest that couldn't be filled with anything. But through the pain, she felt intense gratefulness. She felt peaceful again. She hadn't felt restless in weeks and she was starting to get ready to settle down.

Maura had started a small kitchen garden in the backyard, making it possible to grow some vegetables. Jane had been setting some traps in the forest and caught some rabbits so they could eat meat. Life was good and peaceful.

Suddenly two familiar arms wrapped around Jane's waist and a warm cheek rested against the back of her shoulder, interrupting Jane's thoughts.

"What are you thinking, my love?" Maura said softly into Jane's curls.

Jane turned around in the embrace to face her wife. She shrugged. "Just feeling grateful."

Maura smiled and kissed Jane's lips. "I'm glad to see you like this."

"Like what?" 

"Happy, content. I was waiting for you to get restless after a few weeks but it didn't happen. I'm happy you're happy."

Jane smirked and squeezed Maura's back, her arms wrapped tightly around her wife's waist. "I have everything I need."

Maura pressed her lips against Jane's as she wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck. The kiss deepened, tongues finding each other, arms tightening in the embrace, trying to get impossibly closer.

Jane broke the kiss, gasping for air. She rested her forehead against the blonde's, smiling as she closed her eyes. "I love you so much."

Maura smiled, stroking Jane's messy curls. "I love you more."

Jane opened her eyes and looked into sparkling, hazel eyes filled with love. "I don't think that's possible. If a person feels more love than I'm feeling right now, they would explode."

Maura laughed, tangling her hands in Jane's curls. "People hardly ever explode, especially from love."

"Alright doctor." Jane said sarcastically as she leaned in for another kiss. "Maur, do you worry about me getting restless again?" She thought about Maura's words, noticing the insecurity that laced them.

Maura shrugged, loosening her tight grip but keeping her arms around the brunette's neck. "Sometimes, yes. Back at the cottage, I was feeling content, but you got restless. I guess I'm kind of waiting for that to happen again."

"It won't." Jane assured her wife.

"You don't know that, Jane. You haven't found your father and Tommy yet. Something could happen to the farm. You're not the person to settle down easily. I know you, Jane."

Jane felt a hint of concern. "You're right. I don't know the future." She brushed a strand of blonde hair back, stroking her wife's cheek. "But I do know that I love you more than anything in this world. I feel content on this farm, I'm so happy to have TJ and even though my mom can be incredibly annoying and pushy, I'm endlessly thankful that she's back and I love her."

Maura smiled and Jane saw her eyes shimmering with tears. "I'm not saying I'm fully happy, and I don't think I'll ever be. I miss Frost, I miss Emma, and I miss Frankie and the rest of my family… That hurts like hell. But I love you so much, Maura. And I love my mom and TJ. I want to spend my life with you on this farm."

A single tear started trickling down Maura's cheek and Jane softly wiped it away. "I can't promise I won't get bored or restless. But I'm never putting you guys in danger again. I love you and I want to be with you somewhere safe and peaceful."

Maura smiled adoringly at her wife. "That's a beautiful speech."

"Thanks. Jon Favreau wrote it actually." Jane smirked.

Maura laughed out loud and pulled Jane in for a loving kiss. "I love you, Jane. I want nothing more than to spend my life with you."

Jane held her wife close to her, arms wrapped tightly around the blonde's waist while Maura buried her head in the crook of Jane's neck. They enjoyed the close embrace without speaking, soaking in the never-ending love they felt.

Suddenly Maura lifted her head, looking down at TJ who was tugging on the leg of her jeans.

"Mama, I built a tower!" The young boy said with a big smile.

Jane saw tears forming in her wife's eyes when she heard the toddler call her mama.

Maura kneeled down in front of TJ and smiled while she stroked his chubby cheek. "I'm not mama, remember? I'm Maura. Aunt Maura."

"Momma." TJ stated. "I built a tower!" He tugged on Maura's sleeve, urging her to come look at his tower in the middle of the living room.

Maura smiled and wiped her damp eyes, giving Jane a loving smile before she walked with the small boy. Jane watched her wife admire TJ's clearly awesome tower, giving the boy compliments about the solid structure and choice of blocks.

The detective smiled and felt tears burning in her eyes. Her family was broken, they had lost people they loved and they had been through hell and back, but they had built their own little family. It wasn't complete and it wasn't perfect, but it was her family and she loved it with all her heart.

"Dinner's ready!" Angela called from the kitchen. "Come on TJ, let's go wash up!" She walked into the living room, taking TJ to wash his hands. "Are you coming, girls?"

"We'll be right there." Jane said before she walked over to her wife who was still kneeling in front of the tower of blocks. She kneeled next to the blonde, placing a hand on her upper back. "You okay, Maur?"

Maura looked at Jane with tears shimmering in her hazel eyes. "Yeah. I'm great." She smiled and wrapped her arms around her wife, kissing Jane's neck. "I'm great."

Jane clung to her wife and buried her face in Maura's hair. "I love our little family." She whispered.

She felt Maura smiling against her. "I love it too. And you. I love you."

Jane smiled as tears burned in her eyes. She sighed deeply, enjoying the feeling of the love of her life in her arms. She felt intense gratefulness and overwhelming love. She felt things she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt happy and blessed. She felt love and warmth and the safety in her lover's arms. She felt Maura's happiness and that was all she needed.

"We're done surviving, Maur." She said softly. "We don't have to survive anymore. We get to live now."


End file.
